Of Time Immemorial
by TheShadowEclipse
Summary: Post Skyward Sword: In a burst of inspiration from an ancient Howling Stone, Link crafts an instrument out of Timeshift rock. Using the stone's magical properties, what if he could travel and explore the Past at the cost of a song? References to the SS Prequel Manga as well.
1. Introduction

_**Contains Skyward Sword ****Spoilers.  
Skyward Sword Prequel Manga (by Akira Himekawa in Nintendo's Hyrule Historia) References.  
Post Skyward Sword.**_

_****__**By TheShadowEclipse**_

_**Of Time Immemorial  
**_

_**Chapter One  
**_

Lifting the small blue object from the water, he gingerly rotated it in his hands. He examined its smooth, recently-polished surface as it caught the sunlight, blinding him for a split second. He fingered the set of holes carved on both sides of the stone to assure himself for the tenth time that they were really where they were supposed to be and of the perfect size. Then he checked the mouthpiece to make sure that the silver plague wrapped around it was snugly intact.

It was coming out well.

Link smiled, overjoyed that his handiwork was close to completion. All that was left was to paint the Triforce symbol on the silver plaque.

He set down the blue object on the grass beside the stream to dry. He had just finished giving it a quick rinse with the water.

Getting up, he headed to his bag leaning beside a wooden stool a few meters away. He carried the bag back beside the stream and withdrew a brush and bottle of golden paint from the bag. Setting up his painting supplies, he began to think.

Would such an extreme idea work? The object now laying in front of him, drying on the grass, was made with a Timeshift Stone. The idea for it had come from an old Gossip Stone. Would playing a melody on it really reverse time?

Nonetheless, it would make a beautiful _instrument_.

Barely a month ago, he had been exploring the lands beyond the Sealed Grounds. To his surprise, he had come to the edge of the forest and the entrance of a seemingly endless plain. To be honest, the plain was a pleasant change of scenery. It wasn't a barren desert, not a dark forest nor a treacherous mountain. It had a freshness and contained the thrill of adventure.

And then he had heard it. A haunting sound carried by the wind.

It was faint but it was there.

His curiosity insatiable as always, had prompted him to explore the surrounding area. Further examination had revealed ancient blocks of rocks hidden by the tall grass.

Ruins?

The sound had definitely gotten louder. He followed it to a particularly large clump of ruins. Among them, hidden beneath a slab of rock, was a weathered stone with ancient markings. Link had recognized it immediately, it was too familiar.

In the center of it, where there should have been an eye, was a hollow. And it was producing an eerie tune. Link had listened, something close to nostalgia grabbing hold of him.

He had looked at the ancient rock more closely. The Tear all Sheikah Stones always had was still there. But the hollow where the eye should have been...was it supposed to make music?

Perplexed, he had poked it but it didn't appear to move, or _talk_ for that matter. Then the Blessed Butterflies flying atop a patch of grass was noticed.

So he had returned to the forested Sealed Temple to retrieve the Goddess' Harp and gone back to the ruins.

By then it was almost nightfall and twilight loomed heavy on the horizon.

He approached the butterfly-filled corner. Not even realizing that he had memorized the tune blowing from the ancient Sheikah Stone, he played it. His skillful fingers knew exactly which notes.

_"BOING!" _

_Out popped a new, cheerfully bobbling Gossip Stone. "BOING!" _

___Link hoped it would tell him a little about the other ancient-looking Sheikah Stone behind him. The one producing the eerie tune. _

_"Hey there, buddy!" It said._

_Link waved a greeting in return. He always wondered where the stone's mouths were._

_"I hear this place was once a mighty fortress built by humans! It was huge! The ancient war left everything in ruins though. The plains too, they were burnt to ashes. Just rock and dirt. Thankfully, any trace of that catastrophe been hidden by vegetation over a few thousand years! I wonder how it used to look!" __The stone wobbled a little._ "Why don't you try seeing for yourself?" 

_A blue stone sprang from the Gossip Stone and rolled its way to Link's feet. Surprised, he picked it up and recognized it as a bit of Timeshift stone. His eyes went to the rock in his hands to the Gossip Stone, then back to the rock. _

_The talking stone swayed encouragingly. __"Try it!" _  


_Link tapped the stone and an azure light emerged from it to form a shining circumference a meter from him on all sides. __The grass at his feet became shorter_, the ecstatic Gossip Stone disappeared in a flurry of lights.  


_Hesitating for only a second, he turned. _

_The slab of rock where the hollowed Sheikah Stone had been beneath was gone, so was the stone itself. Instead, the slab had been rebuilt to a towering turret. It was all Link could see before the circle that marked the Timeshift ended. At the tower's base, where the ancient Sheikah Stone had previously been, butterflies glided close to the ground._

_So it was once a Gossip Stone as well? Link thought as he played the same tune on the Harp. _

_Out sprang another Gossip Stone, bouncing elatedly.  
_

_"Hey there, friend!" _

_Link was starting to wonder why all Sheikah Stones seemed to address him- a complete stranger- so friendly._

_"You know that song you just played? They call it the Song of Time. An archaic melody. Created by the Sages themselves when they built the Temple of Hylia not too far from here." _

_"They say it calls forth the power of the Goddess of Time. Summoning it gives you power to time travel! Though it's never really been proven. Amazing, no?" _

_It's called the Song of Time? Link closed his eyes and played it. The Gossip Stone swayed in harmony._

Then it had given him a Goddess Plume.

Deciding to explore the place's past state, Link had only taken a few steps around the tower when a Bokoblin had suddenly materialized and jumped at him. Caught off guard and armed with only a dagger (as he had left the rest of his weapons back at the Sealed Temple and was still seeking out a new sword), he had tapped the Timeshift Stone back to the present just before the bokoblin was upon him.

Night had arrived and it would be hard to see. He resolved to return the next day. With Zelda. Surely she would know more of the plains.

However, he didn't return the day after. Matters back at Skyloft had called both of their attention. However, he had been thinking about the information from the Gossip Stones.

Zelda had been a little upset about leaving the Past...and_ Impa_ behind..hadn't she? And with the Desert Gate of Time destroyed and the Forest Gate sealed, they could no longer travel to the past freely.

But what if they could travel to the past _at will_?

And with those thoughts, a rather outrageous idea had started to form. A rather _dangerous_ one at that.

And idea that was almost completed.

With careful precision, Link put the last finishing touches on the now _golden_ Triforce of the silver plague around the mouthpiece. He laid down his brush and held the blue instrument to eye-level proudly.

It was finally finished.

Placing his fingers on some of the holes, he moved the mouthpiece gently to his lips and blew a note experimentally.

_The sound was soft and sweet..._

He tried more notes in quick succession...Perfect tuning.

He tried a song. An old nursery rhyme from Skyloft. He closed his eyes and played. It was a wonder he could still remember it.

When he was younger, he remembered Jakamar, the man in charge of keeping Skyloft's structures in shape, being fond of a special instrument. Jakamar had explained how the elegant instrument worked to Link, and showed him how to make one out of wood.

The song Link was playing now, Jakamar had played often for his then newborn daughter, Kukiel. It was a merry tune that lifted the spirits of anyone who heard it. However, one day the poor instrument fell down the clouds and was lost forever. A disheartened Jakamar never tried to make one again.

That's where Link had gotten the idea for what instrument he should craft. After miraculously enlisting the help of Scrapper the Robot without Fi's help, he had been able to bring a medium-sized Timeshift stone from the abandoned Lanayru Mining Facility to the Sealed Temple

He was already a skilled woodworker and working with rock was not too difficult than working with wood. As stone is harder than wood, Link's woodworking tools needed to be reinforced so that they would not break when he did his project. It had been a small matter for Gondo to strengthen his wood carving tools with ore. Then Link had been ready to use them.

On his frequent trips to the Surface he had worked on it. Zelda had inquired more than once what it was but he had always hid it from her. He said it would be a surprise.

Once he finished the current song, Link lowered the cerulean Ocarina from his lips to examine it once more. It's surface seemed to glow.

A lovely surprise indeed he hope**d.**

**~xxx~**

* * *

**_Phew! The ending gave me trouble. It's kinda meh. T~T_**

**_Wasn't anyone bummed out when you didn't get to explore the Past like Zelda did? I was...alot. XD This is the start of a story I've had in my mind for a while.  
_**

**_Well...if you figured out what infamous instrument Link was crafting before the ending, you win a cyber cookie. The Ocarina of Time is apparently made out of Timeshift Stone according to Hyrule Historia. I've thought about it and don't ask me how he was able to hollow out a chunk of rock to form the inside of the ocarina because I have absolutely no idea. I can't wrap my head around how that would be logically possible without the help of modern tools. Unless he used a spell or something. :d_**

**__****_ About the plains...it makes sense if you think about it... Beyond the (SS)Faron Province is the vast fields of future Hyrule...  
_**

**__****_Putting in a Howling Stone from Twilight Princess in the ancient ruins seemed appropriate. It's basically just an old Sheikah or Gossip Stone that has lost its magic right?  
_**

**_I almost had the urge to write "YOU LEARNED THE SONG OF TIME!" when Link memorized the tune. X3 _**

**_And Jakamar...I just needed someone to have taught Link about an Ocarina before. It would be kinda weird if he just INVENTED it out of thin air now wouldn't it? Heh. And Jakamar seemed to fit the artistic role.  
_**

**_Leave a Review please! What did you think?  
_**

**_If you're interested, next chapter will be up soon! This chapter was kind of a babble with information I needed to get out of the way. _****_I promise next chapter will be better!_** :D 

**_Thanks!  
_**


	2. Chapter 1

**_Of Time Immemorial  
_Chapter One  
**

_"What?" Zelda's cry echoed loudly around the Temple. "Impa, why? You must come with us!"_

_"Zelda, Your Grace, you possess the memories of the Goddess. You must understand why that is not possible." Though sympathetic of the girl's emotions, Impa was resolute._

_"I am a being of this age. My place lies here."_

_"I...I know that, but..." Zelda trailed off. She realized how meaningless her argument would sound. She pleaded with her eyes as she was unable to find words to do so with._

_Impa turned to the Gate of Time behind her as if to avoid her gaze. Ignoring Zelda's begging eyes completely she continued, "You must return to your own time. I will take care of the gate once you have passed through."_

_"I... I can't do that!" Zelda said softly as she hurried closer to Impa. At the sound of her footsteps, Impa turned to face her. "You and I have been through so much together. I don't want to leave you alone!"_

_In a way, Impa had become the motherfigure Zelda never had, and she knew the lonely fate Impa would have to endure if she stayed at her post. She didn't want that for her even if it had been her previous orders as the Goddess._

_"Please Impa! Come back with us!"_

_Impa shook her head softly as she placed a slender hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Zelda, at the command of the Goddess, I passed through the Gate of Time. I did so to protect you and aid the fight to prevent the world's destruction. The last remnants of Demise are slowly decaying within the Master Sword. Someone must stay behind to watch over this blade."_

_Moisture began to well up in Zelda's eyes and she lowered her head sullenly, hoping Impa would avoid seeing the tears. _

_"His spirit must never reawaken. He must never be allowed to threaten the world again." Impa said firmly. She smiled consolingly as Zelda timidly met her gaze. "This is the nature of the task entrusted to my tribe. As a member of the **Sheikah**, the Goddess's chosen guardians, I gladly welcome this duty." She finished proudly._

_Zelda lowered her head and shook her head slightly as a painful knot formed in her throat. Seeing she needed further persuasion, Impa continued. "I will watch over the Triforce." She paused._

_"** '**_Its power is too great to leave in the grasp of man. Dependence on its might is an invitation to disaster. When it has served its purpose, it must be secreted away to lie dormant once again...the knowledge of its existence hidden from mortal history_.' " Impa squeezed Zelda's shoulder softly, almost as in encouragement. "These are the words the Goddess spoke to me long ago. I remember them well. As do you, I'm sure."_

_Impa waited for a reaction from the girl for a few moments until Zelda finally looked up and nodded in defeat. "I understand," she whispered almost inaudibly. "Then please...accept this." _

_The girl removed one of her violet bracelets with trembling hands and offered it to Impa who chuckled softly in amusement as she took it in her own. _

_"Now go! Your time awaits you." Impa said as she swung her arm towards the Gate of Time, unlocking it. When she turned back to Zelda she found the girl latched around her waist in a hug. She smiled as she wrapped her own arms around the girl's small frame in return._

_"Do not despair, Zelda. You and I shall surely meet again...someday."_

_**~xxx~**  
_

"Hey, Zelda?"

At the call of the voice, Zelda was pulled from her thoughts and memories. She turned her head sharply at the sound to find Groose walking towards her with planks of wood on his shoulder.

"You okay?" He said, concern evident on his face.

Zelda smiled. "I'm fine, Groose."

Groose set the planks down and sat down on the stone bench beside her. "Something big on your mind?"

"...haha. How could you tell?"

"Well, I called your name from over there and you didn't answer. And seeing you right now, you're looking pretty out of it." Groose said.

"Ahh, It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired I guess."

"Hmmm. Try to stay out of trouble for me. Link would kill me if something happened to you. "

Zelda laughed and pulled at her bangs. "Oh, I think I can take care of myself. Don't worry."

It had been some months since the defeat of Demise and life had regained its peaceful cycle for both the people of the Surface and Sky. A few days after the trio's return to Skyloft, there had been celebrations on their "discovery" of the surface when the whole town was informed about it. It had been enough time since then for Link to finish his studies as a Senior and graduate to a full fledged Knight. Of course, he had been more than qualified to become one before, but he had insisted on finishing his year much to both the Headmaster's and Zelda's surprises. He was granted an early leave though as Gaepora and the other teachers decided there was nothing left for him to learn. The young warrior graduated with honors.

For Groose's part, after the Headmaster had been informed of his efforts in assisting on the surface by Zelda, he had been promoted to the Senior class. The redhead had been overjoyed.

Zelda was also promoted to Senior because her father felt she deserved it as well. She eagerly shared the news with Karane.

Their Loftwings had also been trained to fly at night like the safety patrols of Skyloft.

True to her former duty as the Goddess, she and Link frequently went down to the Surface for a quick check-up on the Triforce. They also brought down supplies little by little and stored them in the Sealed Temple. They would be used to start that promised colony Zelda was so intent on.  
After secretly announcing her desire to start a new human civilization on the surface to her father, he had granted Groose frequent leaves of class to help out below. It was something Groose was more than happy to help with. He had recently found that he loved to build and work with his hands. He been working on a new and improved Groosenator as the last one had been crushed under the Isle of the Goddess (_much to his horror)._

He had insisted on leaving any grunt work to him resulting in Zelda having to sit and watch him and Link argue over who did what sometimes. The two still seemed to compete for her approval much to her chagrin. Groose had backed off alot though, having a newfound respect for Link. He still teased, unable to get rid of all of his old habits.

_But boys will be boys won't they?_ Zelda had thought with a laugh.

Currently, Link was in the Faron Woods on some business. A surprise for her, he had said. He had been acting a little sneaky lately. And not just him, her father and few of her close friends at the Academy. Only Groose seemed the same as ever, besides the obvious, greatly-appreciated self development. Now that he had stopped his constant lame flirting, he was actually a great friend.

The two of them, Link and Groose, were the only ones who knew her secret, as she now referred to it quietly. They were the only who knew her real identity as the Goddess Reborn. Thankfully, they still treated her like herself. She was still Zelda to them and she was grateful to them for that. Often she would feel guilty on not sharing the secret with her father, but it was for the better she knew. How would he feel if he found out his daughter was in reality the incarnation of the grand Deity he and the people of Skyloft worshiped? It would be... awkward.. to say the least. It was Zelda's greatest fear that if anyone knew who she really was, they would start treating her differently.

In response to her earlier statement, Groose talked again. "I trust you can. No need for me to be babysitting you around the whole time, riiight?"

"What? Of course not!" Zelda replied indignantly though amused.

Groose laughed in that _dur hur hur_ way of his and waved his hand. "I'm kidding. Actually, since you looked so pensive, and I think I know why, I wanted to tell you something."

He stood up and faced her. "If any of those demon jerks, ever come back, we'll give them a good whooping and seal them back up again, okay? So you've got nothing to worry about, Zelda! "

Zelda grinned. "Thanks."

"I mean...they'll be running away right after I show 'em _THESE_ babies!" He lifted his arm and flexed his giant muscles leaving Zelda in giggles.

It was true though, Demise would surely return someday, that much was certain. Perhaps he would return in a different form as his current one had been destroyed beyond repair by Link. He would never stay down forever though, not after his last words...She felt it. The heavy curse Demise had placed. It hung over her and Link like a dark cloud yet it didn't seem to do any harm. She prayed to the other Gods that he would stay down for a few millennias at least. His return was already a fact to her. No seal could ever hold him forever. Groose's concern was greatly appreciated though. It was...comforting. However, the subject of Demise wasn't what she had been remembering about so intently earlier.

She couldn't help but wonder how Impa was doing in the past. Her memories were all so vivid, so colorful. She could remember their farewells as if they happened yesterday.

Impa no longer existed in the present, but it seemed to be a consolation to Zelda that she still lived on in the past.

Again, her thoughts were interrupted by Groose. He had begun to suddenly fiddle for something in his bag besides her.

"I uh...wanted to give you something...since it's a special day for you and all..."

"Special day?" Zelda asked, puzzled.

"Yeah...your-"

"Hey!" A familiar voice shouted.

"Oh, look it's Link! Good timing huh." Groose seemed relieved. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? You can't keep a lady waiting, shrimp!" He shouted.

Link smiled and waved as he approached, he was holding something covered in cloth in one hand. "Sorry...Machi went missing, "

"One of the Kikwis?" Groose asked as Link stopped right in front of them.

"Yes, but he's found now and eagerly awaiting the event to begin. Shall we go?"

"Wait...where are we going?" Zelda asked.

"Oh...you'll see. But for now, would you mind putting this on?" Link asked sweetly as he revealed a blindfold.

"Why?"

"It's a surprise, Zelda." Groose said simply.

"Ahh...alright." She allowed Link to put on the blindfold on her. "But where are we going?"

"No more questions, Zel, it's a _surprise."_ Link whispered in her ear,

Zelda pouted. "Fine, but how am I going to walk?"

"Simple!" She heard Groose say cheerfully. "You won't. I'll have to carry you so you won't trip or anything."

She felt strong arms slip under her legs and back and lift her up. She blushed slightly at his closeness but then he started walking.

"Lead the way, Link." She heard Groose say.

Groose's gait and his hold on her was surprisingly steady, and she didn't find herself to be uncomfortable. However, after a few minutes of walking, she started to feel a little weak and helpless being carried.

A few more minutes, and she couldn't resist saying something again."We could have taken our Loftwings, you know."

"But that would have been harder to keep a surprise if you knew where we were going." Said Groose.

"But I could have piggybacked with one of you with the blindfold on!"

"And risk you falling off?" Link objected seriously. "Not a chance."

A minute of silence passed until Zelda started up again.

"Pfft. You'd think I'd be dumb enough to let go?" Zelda said suddenly.

"I never said that! " Link protested.

She had to laugh then at how alarmed he'd gotten.

Finally they arrived. Where, she wasn't sure. But her instincts told her they had been walking deeper into Faron Woods.

Groose set her down and she took a moment to regain control of her slightly wobbly legs. Her blindfold fell off to reveal that they were in front of the Great Tree of Faron Woods. Behind her, she knew the entrance to the gazing platform and entrance to the deeper woods was.  
In front of her, at the base of the Great Tree, the Kikwis of the Forest were aligned in a neat row. Some waved tiny arms. Bucha, the chief was right in the middle.

"What's this about?" Zelda asked.

"Well...we prepared something nice for you seeing as how it's your birthday-" Link was cut off by Zelda..

"My what?"

"Your..birthday." Link said patiently.

"My birthday?" She was utterly shocked. Had time really flown that fast?

"Wait, you mean you really don't remember when your own birthday is?" Groose asked,

Zelda shook her head. With all the things happening, remembering her own birthday was at the bottom of her list.

"Well then... I guess _SURPRISE_!" Link cheered awkwardly. He motioned to the Kwikis for them to move.

"_Phwep!_ We prepared a feast for you!" Erla called.

The smaller Kikwis dispersed quickly, revealing some Mogmas situated behind them. Zelda let out a small gasp as she noticed them along with two Gorons at the edges of the table. Bucha was having some trouble moving quick enough though, and one of the Mogmas lost patience and shoved him, causing him to fall face first. He revealed some tables stacked with fruits. Groose headed towards them to help the Kikwi Chief back up.

"The Kikwis gathered the fruit, the Gorons brought some tables and the Mogmas...they didn't really do much but they're here as friends and that's what counts!"

"You invited them all here to celebrate?" Zelda asked Link.

He laughed shyly and nodded. "That's not all...we have three more guests of honor that will arrive soon...hopefully."

"Don't tell me...the Dragons?" She said excitedly.

"Yeah. Levias isn't going to be able to make it though for... obvious reasons. So we'll have to visit him later so he can sing you a tremendous happy birthday song." This made Zelda grin as Link continued. "I was going to invite some of the Parella too since Faron was coming...yet it'd be hard for them to attend unless the whole place were flooded. But the Dragons...they wouldn't miss the birthday of their own Goddess, right?"

"You really did go to such ends to invite everyone! Ahh, thank you! " She gave him a quick hug and rushed off the greet the Surface dwellers.

"Don't eat too much! There's still another celebration after this one!" Link called out to her.

Zelda turned back to him. "Another one?"

Link nodded as she giggled and rushed off.

"Yo, Link!" Called the Mogma named Plats from a table. "Can we dig in now?"

Link was about nod when a sudden flash of fire in the sky caught his attention.

"**WOOOOOO~!**" A voice bellowed and then another flash of fire.

"**FOOL! WATCH YOURSELF!**" Another voice boomed, this one female. "**YOU'LL SET MY FOREST ON FIRE!**"

A giant red serpent with a matching red kimono passed overhead, twirled downwards and alighted gently on the ground.

Two more serpents, one with glowing blue skin and a yellow one with a beard seemingly made out of thunderclouds followed. Once they settled on the ground, a certain hush fell over the guests at the tables.

"_WHOA_. Those are the Dragons?" Link heard Groose exclaim. "Way to make an entrance, huh?"

"**LET THE PARTY BEGIN.**" Eldin bellowed dramatically with wide open arms.  
The celebration had begun.

_**~xxx~**_

The sky was bright with hues of gold, pink, purple and blue as Link and Zelda flew on their Loftwings above the forest. Clutched tightly in one hand and wrapped in cloth was the blue instrument Link had completed the other day. They were headed for the plains beyond the Woods by the Sealed Temple Link had entered from the ground. He wanted to show Zelda the ruins and the land as well as give her his present. After the party with the surface people in the forest, Link and Zelda had flown off and Groose had gone back to Skyloft. He was to tell everyone that the birthday girl would return soon so that they could get the party in the _Sky_ ready.

They flew close together, not too close so that their birds wouldn't run into each other, but close enough that they could hear each other over the wind as they talked.

Zelda gasped softly as the green fields of the plain drew near. Link let his Loftwing into a soft dive and they alighted next to the stone ruins of a building below.

"Link...this is.." Zelda's expression was sad and amazed at the same time.

Link took her hand and led her towards the ruins. He began climbing to Zelda's horror. "Stop! What if it isn't stable?"

"I climbed a few times to check already. C'mon." He offered her his hand again. "The view from the top is great."

Reluctantly, she took it and they climbed to the highest part of the ruins - a small tower that was miraculously still intact and whole though cracked.

Link was right. Sunset showed bright on the horizon and illuminated the seemingly endless plain brilliantly. He produced the earlier cloth-wrapped instrument and handed the small package to Zelda.

"Your present."

She smiled. "You never forget my birthday do you? Ever since we've been younger, you've always gotten me something." She laughed as she pulled back the cloth to reveal a glossy stone. "This..."

In the fading light, the ocarina seemed to glow in her hands. The silver and gold Triforce plaque around the mouthpiece shined.

"Is this...an ocarina?"

Link nodded proudly before he was tackled by another of Zelda's bear hugs.

"Did you make it? OH, thank you so much!" Zelda pulled back to admire the instrument as Link hid a blush. "This is what you've been working on this whole time wasn't it? It's beautiful! "

"She fingered the instrument in her hands. "Play it for me." She said suddenly, handing him the small object. "I want to hear."

He obliged.

The Ballad of the Goddess, Hylia's song, seemed to waft through the air with a crystal clear, yet soft sound. Zelda listened with a blissful expression until she decided to join in.

The soft strumming of a harp and a pleasant voice soon accompanied the ocarina and continued for some more minutes until the sun had disappeared and the stars had begun to blink into existence in the sky.

"That was beautiful, Link. I'll never forget this." She said as she pocketed the ocarina.

He laughed and nodded.

He pulled out a small fragment of blue rock. A Timeshift stone. "There's one last thing I wanted to show you before we head back."

He tapped the stone and a flurry of blue light surrounded them. Zelda found that the tower seemed to have been elevated. The stone ground wasn't cracked but smooth and just before the small perimeter ended, she could see a wooden door in the wall.

"Link, look!"

He nodded. "There were some monsters but I disposed of them, but the whole thing is devoid of any other life." He paused for a moment as he gathered his thought. "I think I understand this stone now. It's magical properties only extend to returning an area to the state it was a long time ago. So if there's some monster bones or carcasses, it will revive them. But it can't change the past."

"Then what about the dragon Lanayru?" Zelda inquired. "How were you able to bring _him_ back?"

"Perhaps it's because he's a god so that makes him an exception. After I healed him, he was able to come out of the Timeshift Stone's radius and out into our present which was previously a future where he was dead in. I think I changed that. " He rubbed the back of his head. "It's still pretty confusing though, haha!"

"Anyway...I wanted to ask you if you knew what these ruins once were."

Zelda smiled and turned to the plains, this time illuminated by the soft light of the stars. "I'm not sure. I don't have any memories about this place. Or more correctly, none of those memories ever returned to me. It was probably a castle or fortress."

In an instant, something flashed trough her mind. An event that transpired on these same plains and ruins... a memory long withheld. She gasped and her knees collapsed below her. Link caught her, the Timeshift stone falling from his grasp and shutting off when it hit the ground.

_"Zelda!"_

With his help she stood back up. The recollection of events done right after it started.

"Zelda...are you alright?"

She forced a bright smile and shrugged his help off. "I'm fine! Really!"

"What happened?"

"I just felt faint there for a moment. I'm sorry for scaring you. It's nothing!" She rubbed her eyes. "I think...I think the past should be left alone though."

He was quiet for a few moments. "We should get back."

"We should."

They climbed down the ruins and soon they were headed back to Skyloft on their Loftwings.  
They rode in silence until Link informed her that the students at the Academy had also planned for her a party.

"Wow..._someone_ has been busy planning for today for a while now!" She forced a smile as he only nodded.

Her mind right now was on another thing though. That memory she had recovered:

_Opposing armies clashing under an ominously dark and storming sky. The land blood-stained and charred, a human village in ruins. __Herself dressed in glowing white robes and restraining a demon of terrible power. _The Dragon Gods embroiled in combat alongside her. And most memorable, an ancient warrior in red and green holding a shining blue blade.

* * *

**_WOOOO~ Chapter two is up, finally! I lied when I said 'soon' in Chapter 1, since this is almost half a year later. ^-^;;_**  
**_Anyway, special thanks to _xCrushxChanx17_ for motivating me back into resuming this story after I temporarily lost my FFN login!_**  
**_I dunno what else to say besides that. This time I'll try to get AT LEAST 2 more chapters in before Summer ends. I actually don't have as much freetime as I would want in Summer though. ;(_**

**_About the birthday event...it just kinda sprung into my mind. The main story hasn't started yet, this is all just an intro.  
_**

**_LOL, I made Eldin into a big show off. He didn't get much screen time so I'm just doing my own interpretation of him seeing as how in the game, he kinda floated lazily around Link when talking to him. Plus the whole volcano-erupting-because-of-an-explosion-of-my-power thing._**

**_Oh and kudos if you got the Prequel SS manga reference at the end! :D_**

**_I was going to write more about the party, but I couldn't make it transition properly into the next part...but I can say the rest of the party was something like:_**

**_The Mogmas and the Kikwis specially, very intimidated by the presence of the dragons._**  
**_Groose: O NOM NOM NOM NOM *noms fruit*_**  
**_Zelda: ^-^ *throughout the whole event*_**  
**_Link and Gorko: *babbling about archaeological stuff in a corner somewhere*_**  
**_Faron: *quietly* Celebrating the day you were born? How petty. When you are immortal such a thing looses its meaning._**  
**_Lanayru: *wise beard stroke* It's a celebration of life, Faron._**  
**_Eldin: THIS PARTY NEEDS MORE SPICY FOODS!_**

_** Meh, and if you actually took the time to read this sucky author's note, HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER and THANK YOU FOR READING! And if you can, review on anything you liked, disliked, etc. Feedback please!  
**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Of Time Immemorial**_

**Chapter Two**

Sitting on her bed, Zelda listened to the sweet melody coming from the tiny box in her lap. The top of it was beautifully engraved with a blue Loftwing and running around the sides were red and golden vines with flowers. A gift personally made by Groose for her.

By turning a small knob on the right, a few clicks would emit from within the box and play a twinkling version of the Ballad of the Goddess. The faster she turned, the livelier the song played. The slower she turned, the song seemed to have become sorrowful. It was a mechanism she wasn't familiar with and was more than a little surprised at Groose's newfound ingenuity.

She sighed contentedly and sprawled on her bed, closing her eyes. The little music box lay on her stomach as she turned the knob to keep the music going.

Everyone on Skyloft had been invited to her grand birthday party, courtesy of her father. However the obvious highlight for everyone had been the cuisine. With new exotic foods from the surface, Henya and Piper had avidly prepared delicious dishes new to everyone. Not that Zelda minded. She was glad that she wasn't the center of attention the whole time. She had had enough of that in the earlier party with the surface dwellers of the morning. Enough presents to go around as well.

One of her favorites was a beautiful long sleeved red dress her father had presented to her before the celebration had started. It was loose, comfortable and fit her perfectly. It looked a little familiar somehow too... She had worn it to the party and was secretly satisfied when Link's cheek had become bright rosy at the sight of her. It seemed to help that Karane had insisted on doing her hair and face as well.

Zelda giggled at the memory.

"Zelda?" Came a knock on the wall beside her.

Zelda sat up and lifted a cloth attached to the makeshift wall to see her friend on the other side of the gap of wood. "Yes, Karane?"

"May I come into your room?"

"Of course!"

Karane smiled and a piece of cloth went down on her side and she disappeared.

The gap between the two wooden makeshift walls that divided their "rooms" had served as a means of communication without needing to be in each other's dorms for many years. Actually, they both shared the same room and could be called roommates. The wooded makeshift walls divided it into two giving each other privacy. But if they wanted, they could climb over it or even pass things under it. The same was true for the rest of the student rooms in the Knight Academy's dormitory.

A few seconds later, the door to Zelda's room opened and Karane walked in carrying something fuzzy in her arms.

"What's that?" Zelda asked.

Karane broke into a grin. "Why, your birthday present of course!"

It was giant stuffed Loftwing made out different blue yarns and adorned with ribbons. It's face and wings had surprising detail.

"Awwww! It's adorable!" Zelda rushed forwards, took the plushie then fell back into her bed with it on top like a little girl.

Karane laughed at her friend's reaction. "I knew you'd like it! I've been working on it in my free time for half a year now."

"You've become so skilled with that yarn! This...it's so fluffy!" Zelda said. She got up and gave her friend a quick hug. "Thank you!"

"No problem and Happy Birthday Zelda!" She moved back towards the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go study for that test tomorrow. Instructor Owlan isn't letting up on that just because today was a party night!"

"Good night." Zelda called as the door closed softly.

She placed the music box next to the blue ocarina on her desk, the stuffed Loftwing at the foot of her bed and laid back down. All the events from today seemed to begin catching up and she immediately felt tired.

As always, her thoughts drifted off to Link. She had a surprise of her own for him too. Good thing it was going to be ready tomorrow. The surface party he had organized for her had made Zelda want to thank him more than ever.

Without noticing, she fell asleep.

_**~xxx~**_

Meanwhile, Link for his part, was not in his room. He found himself laying on the soft patches of grass and letting the sounds of rushing water soothe his mind. He was on the floating island above the Waterfall Cave, only reachable by using his clawshots to grasp onto the profuse ivy growing on the sides of the floating earth. This place seemed to be the most undisturbed on the island and he found himself frequenting back to it after finding it. It had become a little haven of sorts where he could get away from people and just think.

He was not completely alone though. A Gossip stone was right next to the ledge overlooking Skyloft. At times it seemed to be watching him curiously. But strangely, Link wasn't unnerved or made uncomfortable by it. He sensed the rock was friendly and at least it minded it's own business...sometimes. It wasn't called a Gossip Stone for nothing. He talked to it often and found it was pretty darn smart, albeit nosy. Anyways, it was a ROCK. Sometimes Link forgot it was there.

After a while, he was lulled to sleep and the rush of Skyloft's waterfalls faded into the background...

_Only to be replaced by the loud din of Lake Floria's waterfalls. He was standing on the open stone cliffedge overlooking Lake Floria. It was night time. The water seemed to glow, reflecting the soft moonlight. It was peaceful, yet he knew it would not last. This forest and the human village at the edge would soon be overrun and the clean waters below would be stained with blood and muck._

_Unless the Goddess and her army were able to triumph._

_Though even if he did not fail and the army did not fall against the Demon King and his forces, he doubted these parts would escape from any type of carnage._

_Turning his back to the lake, he made his way back the roofed path of white stone connecting the forest. A fleeting thought occurred to him as he passed various barred windows with leaf designs._

_Though this path had been here for centuries now, it was unnaturally clean and spotless. No parts of it were overgrown with ivy or decay. He wondered if it may stay like that in the millenias to come if it survived the coming assault._

Link never realized how long he had slept until the coming light of dawn had begun to enshroud everything in pale gray mist. His dream was completely forgotten in the hazy blur that was his mind at this time.

"Hey." A voice called. "Hey, friend! "

Link stirred but did not wake.

"Wakey wake!"

There was no response.

"You wouldn't keep a lady waiting would you?"

This got to him. He sat up quickly and after muttering something unintelligible, instantly regretted the brisk movement. The blood rushed to his head, making him woozy for a few seconds. Not to mention he was a little sore from sleeping on the ground.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he searched for the voice that had awoken him. It was the Gossip Stone, its one eyed gaze on him. He stretched and looked over the ledge at Skyloft.

Being above the waterfalls, the mist was stronger here. He could just make out the town's outline in the dim haze.

He promised Zelda he'd be ready at dawn. He hadn't expected to fall asleep outside though. It was only minutes before the sun poked its head over the horizon, perhaps he would make it and avoid a reprimand from her if he ran. After shouting a quick thanks to the Gossip Stone, he used his clawshots to get back down in a rush with miraculously, no injuries. Then he started a quick jog to get to the other side of town to the Academy.

He was really half asleep though, and he tripped twice, epically flying a few feet before lading hard on the ground both times. Once over a rock and the other over a sleeping remlit in front of Orielle and her brother's house. It meowed in protest before scampering off. Link was lucky it wasn't too dark or the Remlit wouldn't have taken his rough awakening so kindly.

He continued on to the Academy and reached the front doors. Thankfully, Zelda was not early or waiting for him yet. As he predicted, the front doors were still locked so he was forced to take upper doors after climbing his way there.

Only as he reached his room he began to wonder how the Gossip Stone had known when to wake him if he had never told it anything about this?

Once dressed, he had quickly passed to the bath room to wash the dirt (and sleep) off his face. As he was headed out the closest exit, he heard the closing of a door behind him and a familiar voice.

"Link?" said Pipit. "What are you doing out so early? Sneaking out?"

"Hey, Pipit!" Link turned, not sure if Zelda's inability to specify where they were going today when she had told him about this yesterday meant to keep this a secret or not.

Wait_...where had Pipit come from all of a sudden? _He shouldn't be in the Academy this early since he doesn't have a dorm here.

"Did you just come from Karane's room?" Link asked suddenly. Curiosity moving his tongue before his brain did.

Pipit turned red enough that his freckles blended in with his face. "What? What makes you think that! I was just...I was just talking with one of the Instructors!"

"This early?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Okay, well see you later Pipit." Seemingly oblivious to the older boy's discomfort, Link closed the Academy doors and headed down.

"You overslept again didn't you?" said Zelda as she saw Link jumping down the ledge and heading to her by the front doors.

"Good morning to you too!" He countered, trying in vain to stifle a yawn that revealed everything.

Zelda hid a smile. "Let's go."

**_~xxx~_**

Their Loftwings flew high over the trees of Faron Woods, the chill of the wind against their skin negated by the early sun's warm rays. With each flap of wings their birds took, the Sealed Temple in the distance steadily became closer.

"So...is this thing you wanted to show me important?" Link called to Zelda as they alighted in front of the now earthbound Statue of the Goddess.

They both slipped off their Loftwings. Zelda stroked hers and thanked it before both took of to the skies again. "Hmmm...you could say that," she said as she started towards the Sealed Temple.

"It's not really something I want to show you," she said slowly. "It's more like something I want to give you."

"Oh really?"

She nodded. "But! It's a surprise!" She grabbed his shoulders and steered him into the temple after the majestic stone doors opened on their own.

"The doors...how did you..?"

"Don't be so shocked. This was _my_ temple after all!" She winked. "Now, be a good boy and stay right here. Don't come out until I tell you to, alright? They haven't arrived yet."

"Er...okay? Wait, who's 'they'?"

"Here, hold my bag. I sneaked some sandwiches, so help yourself. We didn't get any type of breakfast."

"Can you tell me what this is all about?" he said, obviously confused as he took her bag.

"Nope!" She said cheerfully. "You kept me blindfolded until we reached yesterday's party. It's only fair if I do the same! So quiet!"

"...fair enough."

Zelda stepped back as the giant stone doors closed in front of her. "Don't try going out the side door. I've locked it!"

"Are you..._imprisoning_ me?"

"...Kinda!"

The doors closed in front of her and Link couldn't resist trying to open them. Just to check if she really had locked him in. He also tried the side door.

The doors wouldn't budge.

_She had really sealed him up in here_. He reflected as he sat on the stairs and took out a sandwich. She said it was a surprise but wasn't locking him up in this temple a little too extreme? If anything, she was probably just playing around again. He was glad that at least that part of her hadn't changed.

At least she had brought food. How considerate of her. She knew him well.

**_~xxx~_**

_What was taking them so long?_

Zelda had thought they would have already been here when they arrived. She had locked Link up in the temple for laughs but she didn't want to keep him waiting in there for long.

The Dragon Gods, they had told her they were done with the task she set them with. And they would be here in the morning.

_So where were they?_

She wondered briefly if this was because their level of respect for her had gone down now that she was mortal.

Though it was true that they treated her more casually now, without the same amount of reverence they used to have, she didn't know if that meant they looked down upon her now. Faron _had_ found her decision to be reborn as a mortal quite appalling at first, she remembered.

The Goddess side of her was slightly mad while the Zelda side of her was sure she wouldn't have it any other way. She _wanted_ to be treated completely as a mortal now...or did she?

She still had mixed feelings about it all.

Having the memories of your past life usually made your current life a tiny bit confusing after all.

**_~xxx~_**

Pacing around the empty temple, Link fiddled with the blue instrument in his hands, trying to remember that special melody the Howling Stone had emitted in the ruins.

He had found the ocarina in Zelda's bag and started playing it in an attempt to entertain himself since he didn't know how long she was going to keep him in here. He knew his friend wouldn't mind. He also wanted to ask her if she knew about the melody too. What did that old Gossip Stone say it was called? The Song of Time? If he only he could remember how it went.

He sat on the steps leading up to the Master Sword's pedestal and began playing a few random notes. How odd for him to forget a tune... when it came to music he had an unusually good memory.

It was almost as if something was blocking his memory. He was persistent though. Soon his fingers began to play the familiar melody as he slowly remembered. Making a few errors in the notes, he corrected them and then he was sure he had the correct tune.

The song wasn't too long. Only seventeen notes. He repeated it and it echoed eerily in the empty temple.

He stopped as a strange feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Just as quickly as it had been there it was gone though. Instead he felt something slightly different.

A pulse.

He felt the ancient stone steps he was sitting on. There it was. A soft pulse. He turned his head back as a faint light caught his eye at the same time.

The Master Sword... it was..._pulsing_ as well? Every time it did, it emitted a faint otherworldly light. It was almost reminiscent of the times Fi wanted to tell him something.

Was it...was the sword _beckoning_ him?

Standing up, he quietly approached his former blade and touched its indigo hilt softly. The pulse seemed to be stronger now. What was he supposed to do?

All of the sudden the pulsing stopped, but the sword was left brighter than usual. He knew what he was about to do was probably a bad idea, yet he couldn't help himself.

Wrapping his hands around the familiar hilt, he _pulled_. Then he was consumed by a mystical azure light.

**_~xxx~_**

When Link opened his eyes, he knew he was still in the Sealed Temple. Standing in the same place in front of the Master Sword's pedestal. However, something was different. There was no pedestal below him and he was holding no sword.

He took a step back. _What had he done?_

Turning to look around him, he was completely taken aback.

The ancient temple did not any longer look so ancient. The walls, ceiling and floor were made of pure white stone. Stone which had previously been mildewed and overgrown with ivy and age. Not just that, the walls were painted bright with designs and a few statues were present. Torches lined dark corners where the limited light from the small number of windows did not reach and there was the unmistakable smell of soft incense.

Yet the most frightening thing was that _there were other people in the temple with him._

* * *

**WOOO! Record update! It only took me 27 days to get this chapter up. Whereas, chapter 2 took me half a year! :D ( I should not be proud of myself. _I should_ _update more often. 8| )  
_**

**Anyway, I finally got the story going! Intro's over. Updated the story image as well for my current stories! (Since when has THAT feature been there? I never noticed...)  
**

**Expect more complicated timely wimey time traveling stuff in the next chapters. **

**Also, if anyone hasn't gotten the references already, there's going to be a bit of stuff from the Skyward Sword Prequel manga that came out with Hyrule Historia. The time traveling will go back to the age of Hylia's Realm when there was still people living on the surface a few years before Demise's invasion.  
**

**Oh and did anyone hear? :DDDD Hyrule Historia is coming to North America next year in late January! The Japanese version published by Shogakakun sold so well that Nintendo is making a translation with Dark Horse Comics! Yay!  
**

**And thank you to the people who favourited or followed! It means alot to know that my story isn't completely hopeless as it seems so I'll try to continue it! **

**Lol Zelda _sealed_ Link in the _Sealed Temple_? c; / / / shot for the lame pun. ;c  
**

**Reviews help me update faster because they give me motivation to write. So please, review?_  
_**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Mouth slightly agape in shock, Link stood frozen as he began to process what had happened.

He stood there for a few seconds, identifying where all the people in the temple were much like he used to scan a place for possible enemies. A man in the flowing robes of a priest was lighting a candle at an altar. Girls in simple white dresses scurried around with some task. And also a few people, most wearing the heavy cloaks of travelers. None seemed to have noticed him yet.

He wasn't in the Sealed Temple anymore. It couldn't be! In the present, that temple was in ruins. However in _this_ era...it was called Hylia's Temple. Just how had he gotten here? The Forest Gate of Time was supposed to be closed!

_He had traveled to the past._ Digesting that fact easier than most, he quickly began going down the stairs. He hoped he could reach the Temple doors and escape outside for a bit so he could gather his thoughts. He didn't want anyone to notice him and start asking questions.

After successfully making it out unnoticed, he got another surprise. He had expected to see a giant Statue of the Goddess but it wasn't to be.

White walls encompassed the front of the temple, surrounding a meadow with a stone path running straight through it. The path led from the temple entrance with the bird statues to a slightly elevated floor in the shape of a circle, then on to an altar similar to the ones at the Earth and Skyview Springs. From there it led to a bigger entrance connecting the bigger walls. It was just like he imagined this place in the present had been in the past (excluding the absence of the huge Statue of the Goddess and the smaller altar in its stead).

Though a little awed, Link felt wary. The Master Sword had disappeared and he didn't know where it could be. He had no other weapons, save for the small dagger in his boot he always kept (It had been a gift from the Battlemaster). He felt very odd and out of place. Maybe he was overreacting a bit, but he didn't know how these people were like. There was no believable answers he could give them if they questioned him. So he'd best stay away from any interactions till he thought of some way to get back. He realized the ocarina was still clutched in his hand.

Link saw fit to hurry out the wall entrance and was about to run off into the woods beyond when he realized there was someone beside him at the exit.

A guard was lazily leaning against the wall. His simple chainmail gleamed in the morning sun and a spear was in his right hand.

Link promptly slowed his pace so he wouldn't attract his attention.

"Hey..."

_Tch noticed_.

Link turned to the guard and waited for the imminent questions.

"I never saw you come in here," he said gruffly. "This is the only way into the temple open to people. How did you come through?"

It was only logical for there to be a guard at the entrance, why hadn't he thought of that? This was a sacred place.

"Err...am I not allowed in?" Link tried to avoid the question.

The guard was eyeing his clothes as he answered. "The Goddess welcomes all into her temple but I'm asking you how you got in."

"Through the entrance of course!"

The man was quiet but he frowned darkly. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it abruptly as he noticed Link's innocent expression totally devoid of any guile.

"Never mind," he said."Just don't cause any trouble." I_ must have dozed off when the boy came in. _The man thought.

Link nodded and headed off into the woods.

_**~xxx~ **_

After a few pensive minutes of thinking high in the branches of an oak tree, Link decided he would return to the temple at night. He wasn't quite sure how people's schedules in a temple worked but he guessed they'd be asleep like any normal person at night. He needed to return and find a way back to his time. Chances were that the Gate was hidden in the Temple of this era somewhere. There must be some way to summon it so he could return.

He thought Impa had sealed the Forest Gate of Time again and had rendered time traveling impossible, but that had been proven incorrect. If the Gate was really dormant like it should have been, would this be possible?

Since it was only morning and night was quite a time away...

_It wouldn't hurt to explore till __nighttime__ would it?_

With his past experiences of time travel, he knew the present more or less _froze_ while he was here. So he wasn't worried about Zelda freaking out after finding him missing. He had never been taken this far back in time though.

He had found this part of the forest to be heavily populated by humans. More so by the village at the edges. He knew he would get weird looks but he was just too curious for his own good. He would stick to the trees.

Should he head to the Skyview Temple in the deeper woods? It would be so interesting to see how that place looked when not in ruin. He might never get another chance like this! But it was too far... and he didn't know how the layout of the land had changed. The path to there could be completely different for all he knew. No. Better to be safe and explore just the surrounding area. Starting with that village...

He slipped down the tall oak and headed in the village's direction. He could see it from up the tree. An assortment of little wooden and thatched houses and buildings. Using the cover of the trees he examined the place when he reached it.

Children, women, men and small animals.

It was strange, seeing so many new people. The number of them he was seeing far exceeded the smaller population of his home in the sky. He used to love the old legends and stories of Skyloft. A few tomes spoke of grand knights on thundering, majestic beasts and great cities that existed at the beginning of time. He wondered if he could be in that era right now? Certainly Demise's forces had not begun to plague the land yet?

He watched as two boys ran close to his hiding spot playing a game. A woman was laying laundry on a fence to dry. Further in he could see a young man pulling a bucket out of a rock structure. A well.

_Cluck cluck_ ~ Link looked down as something bumped into his foot. A chubby, feathered animal was passing casually next to him. The sound seeming to emit from its throat at regular intervals as it walked. C_luck cluck~_

He bent down to stroke it but was startled when it let out a loud cry, flapped its wings in his face and scrambled off leaving a trail of feathers.

Suddenly Faron Woods seemed so much more livelier.

He resisted the urge to chase after the creature and continued his trek around the outskirts of the village. Suddenly he began feeling incredibly nostalgic. For some odd reason, the village was becoming increasingly familiar to him. He couldn't shake off the connection he was feeling to this place.

Link decided to look outside the woods.

In the plains, the ruins he had found that Gossip Stone in...they were indeed part of a mighty fortress. He could see it without even leaving the woods. And farther into the distance, he could see another fortress with huge walls. This one probably far bigger for it to be so visible from so far. He could see a worn path snaking from it all the way from here over different hills. It was probably a day's travel away on foot.

The rest of the plains was much like in the present, except he could see more traces of active human population in the distance. He began to feel pity for this time. Everything and everyone would be completely wiped off the face of the earth save for a few survivors.

_**~xxx~ **_

Link had a knack for climbing so it was no wonder he found himself up on another tree to see better and to hide from anyone yet again. The nearest path was well used and every few minutes someone would come by.

The day had gone fast. He knew he had arrived early morning but now the sun was past its zenith in the sky. Only a few more hours before sunset.

Link settled into the crook of the tree he was in, fondly remembering how fun exploring an area was when there was nothing trying to kill you. He was taking a break. He had thoroughly seen every part of this side of the forest, sneaked into the village, and now he was tired. So good were his skills at hide and seek as a child that no one noticed him at all now.

He had seen not only humans, but Gorons, snd he was learning a lot. Wait till he told Gorko about all this. He almost loathed the thought of returning home without exploring the rest of the forest at least. There simply wasn't enough time today if he wanted to return to the Temple by nightfall. Wait a second...not enough _time_?

He almost laughed. If only he knew how to control the power of the Forest Gate of Time, he'd have all the time in the world. But he wasn't interested in such a thing. He knew it was dangerous. Such godly power out of his comprehension was not to be messed with.

Though he had a theory of what had happened. Of how he had ended up in this era. If it worked when he tried to go back, then it was probably right.

Recalling the details of his old adventure... After the young Impa had returned them to their time from the past, the Forest Gate had disappeared. _Dormant again, _he had thought. However, when he had played the weird Time song on the ocarina earlier, what if that was what made the Master Sword pulse with light like the beat of a clock?

He remembered the Gossip Stone that given taught him the song with its howling and the information it had relayed later.

_"You know that song you just played? They call it the Song of Time. An archaic melody. Created by the Sages themselves when they built the Temple of Hylia not too far from here. They say it calls forth the power of the Goddess of Time. Summoning it gives you the power to time travel! Though it's never really been proven. Amazing, no?"_

If that was right, why did the song make the blade react and not the Gate?

Link could only think of one answer.

The Gate of Time's new hiding place was within the Master Sword.

That's why pulling it had sent him here. And because the Blade of Evil's Bane was not supposed to exist yet...it had vanished? Or maybe it was because there was already a Time Gate in this time? Link was still confused about it all, and his brain was starting to hurt from trying to wrap his head around all it, yet his theory seemed sound for now.

_To return to the present, __he__ just had to play the Song of Time and summon the Time Gate at the temple again. Then he would be able to return. Simple right?_

He avoided thinking of the possibility that he was completely incorrect and that there was no way his idea would work, leaving him stuck here forever. That isn't to say he didn't want to come back. Quite the opposite. If he truly did find a way to travel between times, maybe he'd coax Zelda into coming with him the next time?

Sounds below him disturbed his deep thinking.

Just below his tree, a man had begun shouting at another that was weaving his way through the trees after him. The first man was carrying a big pack and the second was cloaked fully. Travelers. What were they doing so far from the main road?

"S-stay away!" The first one was panting hard as he reached the base of Link's tree and leaned on it. He had been running,

The cloaked one seemed amused. "Just give us what we're looking for and we'll stop bothering you."

"I-I don't have such a thing!" said the man with the pack fearfully.

"You know I mean information. You know its whereabouts."

"No!"

The cloaked man began to approach him and Link watched with growing interest as he pulled out a glinting sword from beneath his cloak.

_Someone was going to get assaulted in the clear light of daytime!_

"Oh come now! We both know you know. Is it really worth losing a limb for a secret that will be found out eventually?" The cloaked one said calmly.

The man visibly cowered. "I swear I don't know a thing about what you're after! I'm only a poor merchant!"

In an instant, Link knew what he had to do. He saw the cloaked man tense as he prepared to strike and he knew he couldn't allow that to happen.

Just as the man lunged, Link leapt from the branches and landed on him, using him to break his fall and hopefully knock him out.

The small merchant yelped in shock as his aggressor was brought down suddenly. He wasn't unconscious though. Beneath Link, he squirmed. The breath had been knocked out of him but he was wrestling with Link for his sword.

"Who are you?!" He shouted.

Link didn't answer but was able to yank the blade out of his opponent's hand before he was roughly kicked off. The same blade flew out of his own hand as his back connected with the hard ground. Both men struggled to their feet.

"I asked you who you were!" The man's cowl had fallen off and his face revealed a mess of black hair and a wild expression. He pulled another identical sword from his cloak much to Link's surprise. Without waiting for him to answer, he lunged.

Link lept out of the way as he pulled his dagger out from his boot. He had never truly fought with it. The Battlemaster had shown him some techniques, but the weapon was still new to him. He didn't know how good his chances of fighting with it were, but what better way to find out?

The man was obviously skilled. He didn't lose a beat as he followed him. Already he was on him, his blade raised high to strike. Link deflected it with his dagger. Though he trusted that his dagger's caliber was strong enough to stop a sword swing, he didn't want to try his luck at it lest it break, so he was deflecting instead.

After a few swings, the man tried a stab. Link dodged this one by leaping back.

"I'm impressed," said his opponent, twirling his sword. "That a mere boy like you has such fast reflexes. Yet with such a small dagger, you'll lose soon." He charged.

Link was unfazed. He ducked under the blow, grabbing the man's sword hand and pulling him forward as he swept his legs from beneath him. The man fell face first with a loud grunt.

"I'm impressed!" Link imitated, suppressing a laugh. "By your graceful fall! You won't last soon with dirt in your eyes!"

"Why you!" He rolled away and then to his feet, not giving Link enough time to attack while he was on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Link could see the other sword by a bush. He dashed for it, hopping awkwardly the last few steps as he quickly sheathed his dagger in the concealed sheath of his boot. With a real sword in his possession, the man wouldn't last.

Just as he picked up the blade, Link sensed the man behind him and quickly spun on his heel to intercept the coming blow.

Link didn't deflect it this time, he stood his ground as the blades collided and both men began to push in opposite directions.

"Give up or die!" The other man growled angrily, his face dirty from the fall.

Link smiled, sensing the other's panicked bluff. He knew he was losing. Link pushed harder and he lost the struggle, becoming off balanced in a second. After a hard kick from Link, the man became more familiar with the ground for the third time that day. Link used this opening to get on top of him and press the sword to his throat.

The man was deathly still, awaiting for his throat to be slashed. But it didn't come as Link hesitated.

After a few seconds of tense silent from both of them, the raven haired man sneered. "You can't kill me!" He said triumphantly.

Link cocked his head. "And why not?"

"You're just a boy!"

Link snorted.

Though, it was true that he was perfectly capable of just killing him that instant, Link hesitated. After all, he'd just met the man. He only wanted to stop him from harming the other one but what right did he have to take his life away? He was a _human_, not some brainless monster. And Link had never killed a human before.

"You're right, " he replied finally. "I'll just knock you out then."

Swiftly removing the sword and turning it around, he brought the hilt hard on the man's head, effectively knocking him out.

After confirming that he was unconscious, Link got up and turned to the merchant. "Are you-" he started but was abruptly interrupted as he noticed the weapon in the merchant's hands.

Link yelped as he dodged the bolt by a hair's breath. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" He said indignantly.

The little man was shocked to see the bolt miss at such a close range. Indeed, the boy had sharp reflexes. "I don't understand what you people want! I don't know nothing about the rod! I'm innocent I tell you!" He babbled as he fumbled to replace the bolt on his crossbow.

"SO AM I! SO AM I!" Link said holding up his hands and letting the sword drop as the crossbow was aimed at him again with startling speed. "I'm on your side! I jut saved your life!"

The man hesitated and Link lowered his tone. "Please, I'm not trying to hurt you. Can you please put the crossbow down?"

After a few tense moments he lowered the weapon.

"Thank you!" Link sighed in relief, lowering his own hands but still wary. "Why...was this man after you?"

The little merchant was back on alert immediately. "I don't know! I don't know! But they've been following me ever since I left the city!" He looked ready to cry.

Link tried another approach. "Do you know if the village back there-" he jerked his thumb in the direction of the forest village for he did not know its name. "- has some kind of place where they can lock this guy up or something?"

"The Guards will take care of him!" The merchant wiped his face with the back of his hand. He searched in his pack and withdrew a piece of rope. "Tie him up with this, will you?" He tossed Link the rope.

Together, they carried the man to the village a little far off. A few men in simple chainmail like the one by the temple listened to the merchant as he relayed the events. Then they hauled the man's unconscious form off after giving Link a few skeptical glances.

After, the merchant thanked him multiple times. Link was still a little annoyed at how the merchant had almost hit him with the crossbow but he accepted his thanks and disappeared into the trees again before he got involved in anything bigger.

In truth, he had been surprised a little. Not even a whole day in this era and he had already been involved in something violent. He thought about how quickly the merchant had assumed him to be an enemy as well. Perhaps this era was not so different from the others. Just because Demise's influence wasn't present didn't mean the land was peaceful. Any thought about this era being more prosperous than the others was gone.

The sun was already setting. Time had passed so quickly. He needed to return to the temple. Hopefully they wouldn't lock the doors... or w_ould they? _ That would completely foil his plans if he couldn't even get _into_ the temple!

He was close to the wall entrance when he realized it wouldn't be wise to alert the guard there by going in and then seemingly never come out. What about the back entrance? Or maybe he could scale the wall?

He waited until the moon was fully out to make his move. He checked the back door (that was really the side door) and found that it was another part of the temple now. Locked. He didn't know what was behind it either.

The wall turned out too smooth to scale.

Maybe a distraction for the guard was needed?

Turns out there wasn't any need for it. The guard had dozed off completely.

Link headed into the temple, the stone doors open but no one in sight inside. Sleeping in a back room probably? They really trusted that incompetent guard at the entrance to keep the Temple safe? Why, Link could have easily slit his throat in the middle of the night!

Walking up the stairs to where the pedestal of the Master Sword had been in another era, he took out his ocarina. The Song of Time was swiftly played and Link winced as it echoed off the walls loudly.

In the center of the Temple, a blinding light appeared. When it dimmed, a familiar Gate of Time stood there. It rotated slowly on magic gears. Link stepped inside of it.

He looked back just in time to see a bewildered girl's face stare back at him before the Gate closed.

* * *

_** Four days since the last chapter...This is the fastest update I've ever done. OwO  
**_

_**NEW RECORD. All for you guys. :3  
**_

_**Hmm...I needed some action, so have a fight scene! Tell me how I did? D=  
**_

_**Well, school starts in three days for me so I can't promise the next update will be this fast. But I'll try getting one or more a month.  
**_

_**Thanks for reading!  
**_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

If there had been any observer in the Sealed Temple at this time, they would have seen Link disappear in a flash of azure light above the stairs in front of the pedestal. Only seconds later, they would notice the glowing white squares that appeared out of thin air in the center of the room where the Gate of Time once stood. These white squares would float lazily in the air before immediately coming together to form a humanoid shape . The bright glowing of this form would fade and the very same sandy haired youth would be standing there instead. Almost as if he had only teleported to a different part of the temple and not gone back in time a few millenia in the span of a couple of seconds.

The boy stood there, dumbfounded, as he realized he was back in his home time. He hadn't been careful enough though. Someone had seen him enter the Gate. The possibility of returning without causing a scandal now was low. That is if that temple maiden was a blabbermouth.

In his left hand was the ocarina and in his right was the familiar weight and balance of his old blade. Though he wished it wouldn't be so, the Master Sword was no longer supposed to be in his possession. Almost moving out of his accord, he reached the pedestal at the top of the stairs and returned the sword to its proper place. There was no light or effect, only the satisfying sound of metal scraping against stone that signified the sword was placed properly.

Suddenly, he felt so tired. He had spent almost a whole day in the past but it was still early morning here! He momentarily forgot why he was at the Sealed Temple in the first place. _I think... Zelda wanted to show me something..._

He sat down on the steps, pocketed the blue instrument and put his head into his hands. Maybe a quick nap was in order?

Alas, it was not be. The ancient doors at the front of the temple rumbled open and the sound of soft feet approaching was heard.

"Oh, Link!" Zelda laughed. "Don't tell me you've fallen asleep?" He was only drowsy really.

He mumbled something incoherent as she dragged him to his feet. She began smoothing his clothes for some reason.

"What happened to you? You have dirt all over you! My temple isn't this dirty!"

He chuckled. _How was he supposed to start the story?_ She interrupted him though.

"Nevertheless, come," she said, leading him outside.

He shielded his eyes as bright sunlight hit them. He felt the urge to return to the cool, dim light of the temple but Zelda pulled him farther outside. Suddenly, a welcoming shade of a shadow covered them and he was able to open his eyes fully only to find the form of Water Dragon Faron looming over him. He instantly snapped awake and straightened as he realized Eldin and Lanayru were also present. Confused as to why they were here, he listened intently as Faron began to speak.

"The Hero has proven himself worthy of his title as the Goddess's Chosen Knight time and times again," Faron said in her thundering voice. "He has shown great courage, wisdom and power in crucial situations and destroyed the great demon that threatened to be the world's bane. Due to the gravity of former problems he has solved, we still feel as if we did not properly reward him for his actions."

"So at the recent behest of Her Grace Hylia, we have gladly agreed to prepare a gift infused with our powers," said Eldin.

"You are still without a proper blade, are you not, little Hero?" Lanayru asked and his eyes twinkled.

Before Link could respond, Zelda answered for him.

"Indeed, He has been sword-less ever since the Master Sword was put to rest. No other blade can match its caliber and no other blade feels right in his hand.

The dragon gods nodded as if they already knew this. "Then we present you this, Hero,"

In a small explosion of light, a sword of pure white lay floating in air in front of him, hilt facing him. Its blade shined bright enough to blind him. Startled but awed, Link grasped the hilt. As he did, the light instantly vanished and the pure radiance it had shown a mere second ago disappeared, making it look like a normal sword.

He lifted the sword skyward, admiring the fine craftsmanship. It was not fancy or heavy with jewels but plain and elegant. The hilt was a very light blue and otherwise plain but for three small unfamiliar symbols in the center. One was of three droplets in a fading violet color. Another was of a red oval with three spikes emerging from the top (this one looked vaguely familiar to him. He was sure he has seen it somewhere). And the last was of a blue circle within a circle that reminded him of a water bubble reflecting light. This symbol was in a darker blue to contrast with the lighter blue of the hilt. However, the blade part was the most peculiar. The metal was smooth and even in the shade made by the dragons, it seemed to glow with a fair white light. He did a few practice swings and found the balance and weight of it were perfect.

"This is the White Sword," said Faron. "The metal was forged by the small race of beings secretly coexisting with your people in the sky. In it resides the crystallized power of our respective elements infused. Mine is earth. Strong and unyielding, this blade will never break at full strength."

"Fire," Said Eldin simply. "This blade will bring you warmth and light. It will blind your foes, but if you are not careful, it will burn you as well."

"Mine is the element of water." Lanayru began finally. "In the blade, pure and flowing power flows. Do not underestimate its power, for like the tides of the sea, it can change instantly. "

Link was simply at a loss for words. Zelda elbowed him in the ribs softly and he snapped out of his daze. He bowed deeply. "T-Thank you." He stuttered.

"One last thing, Hero," said Faron. "The sword is not entirely complete. You must grow with it, and only after you have become close to it, you may visit Levias ."

"Levias? For what?" Link asked.

Lanayru answered this time, stroking his beard habitually. "The Spirit of the Skies holds the last element to complete the White Sword. His is of the eternal liberty of the blowing wind."

"Air..." Link breathed.

"The sword is yours now, boy. The essences that make up our world of light are yours to command...to a smaller degree." Eldin paused and rather mysteriously added the next phrase with a hint of his customary mischief. "You might soon find what that really means."

With that, the dragons said their farewells and took to the skies in flashes of red, blue an golden scales.

Link turned to Zelda who was smiling. "Well," he started to say as he glanced at the sword in his hand. Now that shade created by the dragon's massive forms was gone, the sun was able to reach the sword freely for the first time. As the light caught the blade at an angle, it glowed bright and Link averted his eyes away to avoid being blinded. "It's a magnificent sword. I don't quite know what to say." He laughed awkwardly. He was genuinely grateful. " Thank- "

"You don't have to say a thing!" She interrupted by tackling him into a hug. "If anything I'm the one that should be thanking you. For everything." She pulled back after a few moments. "Lets test your new toy out, shall we?" She said slyly.

At the Knight Academy, each student had the choice to take part in the forging of their own sword a few days before graduating to knighthood. The day of the ceremony, the Battlemaster presented the new, personalized sword to the graduating student. It was optional though, being a bit expensive to some. Knights could make do with the borrowed plain swords from the Academy's armory for free. Pipit was one who took this affordable action. At that time, though he could more than afford it, Link was content with his long dagger and a little upset at the thought of replacing Fi. There was no urge to forge his own sword. However, being the Headmaster's daughter, Zelda had no trouble affording the forging. She desired a blade to call her own. From the memories of her past life, she remembered and learned anew her old magicks. While assisting in the forge, she had secretly infused the metal with her magic, definitely personalizing it. People never saw her carry it around, but she actually did.

She stood a ways back and summoned out her own blade seemingly out of thin air. "How about a spar?" she said brightly.

Link, his earlier exhaustion and time traveling adventure completely forgotten for a while, grinned and nodded.

She put a hand to her forehead and feigned to be fainting suddenly. "Go easy on me though!" said said in mock fear. "Wouldn't want to be sliced or anything." She laughed and put on a ready stance.

"At your ready," he said.

She nodded and charged. Link, for less than a split second, wondered if his friend was really stupid enough to be charging at him. It wasn't like her to perform a rash action like that. He brought his blade out to defend but was startled when she didn't meet him head on, but instead jumped to his left side at the last second and tried to stab his unprotected side. He regretted underestimating her instantly. She was Zelda after all. He jumped to the opposite side, barely avoiding the blow, and turned to face her again.

He wasn't carrying a shield, and since his sword was in his right, his left side was completely open. Since he was already familiar with her composed style of fighting, her sudden charge had intended to distract him with its unpredictability so she could have tried that hit. How astute of her. He was a little surprised at her aggressiveness though.

They circled each other for a bit, until Link did the first move and leapt forward to attack. He attacked again and again but she blocked all of them and was able to get in some of her own. She had great defense. However he was attacking softly. He was afraid he'd knock her back if he attacked too hard. She seemed to know too.

Obviously getting tired of not being able to penetrate each other's defenses, he saw her make a face and suddenly leap back. A smirk crossed her face and he wondered what she was going to do. Her form seemed to shimmer and Link thought he was imagining this.

She disappeared.

Link stared at the spot she had been in shock. "What the?"

He sensed something coming at him from behind. Turning quickly, he caught sight of a golden ball of light hurtling at him at top speed. He yelped and swiped at it with the White Sword, deflecting it to his right were it disappeared after crashing into a part of the crumbled wall.

"Magic?!" He had only just said this when he realized she was upon him once again with her sword, driving him back. "You know you're cheating right? I can't use that!" He was grinning between blows. He hadn't known Zelda had mastered her newfound magical talent so well already.

She smiled and leapt back again. "I wasn't aware there were rules." Her sword began to glow in her hands.

Glowing objects were never particularly good signs.

Link wished he had his shield in that moment because Zelda pointed her sword at him and a beam of light hurtled itself straight at him. At such a close distance, he had no time to dodge. He put his sword in front of himself and let it absorb the beam. The force of it knocked him back though and he lost his footing.

Zelda didn't miss such a great opportunity. She moved forward, sword held high. With a small cry she brought it down. Again, Link couldn't help but be surprised. He dodged the blow successfully but tripped over a part of the crumbling wall they had moved so close to.

Zelda loomed over him and for a second he thought she was going to take advantage of the situation. "Oh! Are you alright?" She said, concern evident in her voice.

He rolled to his feet quickly. "I'm okay." Though he was extremely proud that her swordsmanship had improved so much over the last few months, he looked at her warily.

She clearly noticed his expression and put on an amused expression. "What?"

He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head while trying to figure out what had made him uncomfortable.. "It... just seemed like you were really trying to kill me for a second there."

"Pfft. Pfft!" She waved the matter away. "This is a spar isn't it? A nice, friendly spar between two friends. The whole point of sparring is to TRY to kill your opponent and fail! And I just failed."

"That's...err.. one way of looking at it."

"Oh come on, Link!" She giggled. "I'm dying to let loose! I've been... remembering all these weird things recently." She paused and looked thoughtful for a second before continuing. "I've remembered how to do a few magic tricks. My swordsmanship has improved so much. It feels so different and I really want to test all these new abilities. You're basically the only person that is skilled enough to be on the receiving end without dying."

"I don't think I feel content about being your training dummy. " He joked.

She laughed hard at this. "You are such a wuss."

He smiled and shrugged. "I probably am. In case you forgot, I'm sparring with an all-powerful Goddess here. She could smite me to bits if she wanted!"

He had meant this as joke but as he expression became slightly more serious, he knew it had been a mistake.

She stared at the floor. "I'm not her anymore," she murmured quietly. She was suddenly deep in thought. This was not the first time she had zoned out like that. It seemed to happen whenever the subject of Hylia was brought up. Link sensed inner turmoil and confusion in his friend about this.

"Zel?" When he received no response, he sighed and approached her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She looked weary. "I want to get stronger. In this form I feel so limited when I remember the days of old. I wish to regain my old abilities so I do not fall helpless again."

It was odd to hear her say that. She wasn't speaking as Zelda but as Hylia. _Wait a second...Days of old...? Hylia..._

Finding the way to take her mind off the matter, he asked, "Want to know the little adventure I had while I was locked up in the temple this morning?"

She looked at him strangely as he snapped out of her stupor. "What?"

He nodded. "I'll show you. But first...I didn't get a sheath for this sword did I?" He laughed. "I guess I'll have to make one."

"No need for that. It's on your back." She pointed.

"Oh?" He craned his neck to see the sheath and spun around trying to get a better look at it like a puppy chasing his tail. "When did it get there? I never even felt it!"

Sheathing the blade. he lead her back into the temple. "You won't believe it," he was saying. He pulled out the ocarina and brought her to the atop the stairs beside the Master Sword.

"Link, wha - ?" She was interrupted as he began to play the Song of Time.

Zelda gasped softly as he played. "That song!"

After he finished, as predicted, the sword in front of them began to pulse with light. Link was quiet, wondering how she would react. Zelda stared at it, shocked. "Why..is it...?" She leaned over to touch its hilt but quickly thought better of it.

"The Master Sword, shouldn't it be dormant?" She asked incredulously.

"But it's not. Wait no, I mean...I think it is but...that Gate within it is not."

Zelda stared at him blankly and Link rubbed his head. He was hoping she would know what it meant at first sight. Then she could explain what really happened to him. "Err..that didn't make any sense didn't it? Alright, here's what happened. This happened in the morning when I played the song. I couldn't resist so I pulled the sword out and got transported to the past after all these flashy blue lights! I thought that-"

"Wait! What did you say? You got transported to the past?!"

"Not the time of the past we know. Not the time of the past that I fought Demise in. It was _earlier_! Zelda, I met real people!" He looked so excited as he said this. He continued. "I thought about it and I can only think of one reason for this. The Forest Gate of Time went into the Master Sword!" He gestured to the glowing blade. "Do you know what this means Zelda!? We can go back-"

"Stop it." She said suddenly.

"What?"

"I know what you're thinking!" She shook her head. " Our time is _here_. We're not supposed to go anywhere else!"

"What do you mean?"

"What happens in the past stays in the past! If we go back, we could risk changing something that affects the fragile balance of the present. Don't you see, Link? It's dangerous!"

He hadn't thought of that. He wanted to say she was being too dramatic. He realized dejectedly that she was right though. After all, she knew how these things worked much more than him.

They both watched the blade continue to pulse in silence. Then the glow faded and it was normal again.

"Where did you learn that song?" She asked suspiciously.

"Oh, um, some weird howling gossip stone?" Again that blank look from her. He waved the matter off, it wasn't important. "It's not a normal song, is it?" he asked.

"The Song of Time. One of the secret melodies of old. It can reverse or forward time in a few seconds or even _days_ when played...correctly. No wonder the Gate responded to it. " A new thought occurred to her. "How long were you there?"

He smirked. "A whole day. I had to wait till night to sneak back into the temple and get back." He yawned unconsciously.

Zelda cracked a smile. "I was wondering why you were looking so tired. We should get back to Skyloft now, everyone will start to wonder where we are." She looked away after a final glance at the Master Sword. Her mind seemed to be distant.

_What was bothering her so much lately?_

**_~xxx~_**

They returned home. The Headmaster saw them and waved them over as they entered the Academy.

"Zelda! Please, whenever you go out like that, inform me." There was a crease in his forehead. " When I did not find you in your room in the morning, I began to worry."

"Father!" She was a little exasperated, having gone through this more than enough times. "You know I can handle myself! I left early and everyone was still asleep. I saw no need to wake you up. It was only a few hours. Besides, Link was with me!"

Gaepora sighed. "Where did you go?"

"The Surface."

"Just leave me a note next time, my girl. Please, that is all I ask."

Zelda sighed herself. "Yes, Father." Ever since she had returned a few months ago from her quest, her father had become increasingly overprotective.

"Didn't Pipit say he saw me go out?" Link asked.

"The Headmaster nodded. "I assumed you two were together. Anyways, come. You're just in time for lunch."

Zelda muttered a thanks as they both headed to the kitchen, greeted Henya, the other students, and took a seat.

"You know he only does it because he cares about you?" Link asked as they waited.

"I know, Link, I know, " she said. " It's just...do you know how it is to be constantly babied? It's irritating sometimes!"

He laughed. "It doesn't look so bad."

Zelda didn't know how anyone could stand it! Then it suddenly occurred to her that Gaepora hadn't asked about Link at all. She realized Link wouldn't understand how her father's overprotectiveness affected her. After all, his parents were dead. He had never experienced anything like that. Glancing at her friend, she felt a twinge of pity,

Henya interrupted her thoughts as she approached the duo with two bowls. "You know, Zelda dear, your father was looking all over the school for you when you weren't in your room. Don't leave him worrying like that."

Zelda tried to smile apologetically and was about to respond when Henya's attention turned to Link. The petite old woman made a sound of dismay. "Boy! How in the heavens did you get so dirty?"

Link was about to dip his spoon into the soup when she said this. "Huh?"

"Look at you! Link, go upstairs and get cleaned up before you eat. "

Link couldn't find the words to protest."But...Miss Henya!" His soup was going to get cold and he was really hungry!

"No buts, boy." The ladle she always carried and used to rap disobedient students on the head was drawn and pointed at him. "You're a graduated Knight now! You need to look the part!"

He sighed resignedly as he got up. Zelda couldn't stifle her giggles.

"And you, my girl!" That treacherous ladle was turned to her and she was quieted instantly. "You didn't wash your hands."

"Ah!"

"You can use that bucket of water over there." Henya gestured to a bucket beside the fireplace. "Or go upstairs as well."

"I'll go upstairs. Thank you." Zelda smiled. She got up to catch up with Link who was just leaving the doors,

"Oh, and Link!" Henya called. "Your clothes better be completely clean later! I'll be checking them! "

"Yes, ma'am!"

"That woman is scarier than any monster I've ever faced." Link whispered as they were out of earshot.

Zelda laughed.

**_~xxx~_**

She'd knew he'd be disappointed about his soup becoming cold, and insisted on waiting for him while he washed up. She thought that if this would make him feel at least a little better, cold soup was a small price to pay for her.

After supper he washed his clothes, and true to her word, Henya saw to it that they were clean. With a weary face, Link murmured a goodnight to Zelda when he passed her in the hallways though it was only early afternoon.

Zelda didn't bother asking him what he meant. It didn't come as a surprise to her that he work up quite late the next morning...and got an earful about it with Henya.

* * *

_**Yes!**_

_**Got an update up!  
**_

_**And since, the teachers went on strike where I live... there's no school for an indefinite amount of time. Which means I might get another update up soon! Who'd know the teachers would go on strike after the first week of school! And it was a new school for me actually. XD With any other, I'd be glad to be off for a few days. Yet I can't honestly say I'm not a teensy weensy bummed out that I won't be attending my new school for a while.  
**_

_****__**Might even work on another story since I suddenly have much more freetime. (My homework's all done, yeah~!) **_

_**Alright, the story! Nobody wants to hear me ramble about school.  
**_

_**Emm, Minish Cap references anyone? D= Minish Cap is supposed to be the game that's after Skyward Sword. It's too bad I can't find a Gameboy cartridge for it at any game store! I heard it was a free virtual console download for the 3DS for Nintendo Ambassadors. (They're available for people that bought the game before September 1st, 2011. They got twenty downloadable Gameboy/SNES games available just for them. Nintendo wanted to thank the people that bought the system before the price cut.)  
**_

_**. . .  
**_

_**. . .  
**_

_**I bought my 3DS, September 5th, 2011. . . O_O  
**_

_**GAH.**_

_****__**Still, if you bought your 3DS before September of 2011, you might want to research this. You could still be able to claim your twenty games! (I'm not sure though. I found a Nintendo site that allowed you to enter the code on the back of your 3DS to tell you about your eligibility so it might still be possible.) Some of these games haven't made it to the eShop channel at all. Some of the LoZ games were Minish Cap, LoZ I and LoZ II) Which is a real shame. Just maybe there's still a bit of hope that these games will be out in virtual console in the following months though. Little by little, the SNES games are being released in the eShop in Japan. And some of the titles that were only available to Ambassadors are coming out here too! (LoZ I X3)  
**_

_**Anyways, I'll be**__** making a few origin stories for some more canon items of different games as well to make the story a bit more interesting too (Headcanons and theories are fun!) .**_  


_****__**Nothing too interesting in this chapter. It felt kinda short actually. Zelda has identity crisis issues. 'Nuff said.  
**_

_****__**Alright, congratulations, you've gotten to the end of the long Author's note! As always, thank you for reading and I am eternally grateful to reviewers!  
**_


	6. Interlude: Beginning of the End Past

**_INTERLUDE_**

**_In the Past...  
_**

Running through one of the emptier backstreets after the monster's trail with a leg wound was starting to take its toll. He stumbled, berating himself again for letting the creature get the best of him. The wound was hastily bandaged with cloth and throbbing painfully. He knew it wasn't a good idea to exert himself, but he couldn't help it. He was holding in cold fury at the scaled monster. It had murdered three people, a child and burned down a small house in the marketplace. Such a beast couldn't just stay loose to cause more harm!

Three of his men passed him, they were catching up. One of the young men stopped a ways ahead before noticing his commander leaning against the wall to take a breath.

"Sir?"

"I'm fine. Just hurry and contain the creature before it escapes. It's headed towards the city gates."

The man nodded and hurried after his comrades.

He allowed a few seconds of respite before continuing. He knew the three men wouldn't be enough. If it had wounded and gotten past _him,_ how did he expect some of the newer recruits to handle it? For the goddesses, the thing breathed _fire_. He hoped the rest of the men would catch up soon. They had been scattered at the scuffle in the marketplace.

There had been rumors of a terrible scaled beast terrorizing the citizens lately. This was the first time it had shown itself in broad daylight though. When word of the damage it was doing in the marketplace reached the castle, he had been dispatched to take care of it. He had brought ten men. One had already been killed, and the rest were either following the monster or wounded back in the market.

It was amazing how much chaos one of those demons could cause.

Hurrying, he emerged into a wider street. His soldiers was already embroiled in combat. Terrified civilians ran in opposite directions. Before he could reach the fighting though, a blur of black darted past him suddenly. The dark blur pushed his soldiers aside and engaged the monster itself.

It happened in a few seconds.

A gleam of silver, a flash of blood, and the monster was down. It fell in a heap before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Shocked, he caught a better sight of the shadow that had taken it down with such ease. It was a young woman in gold and blue clothes with a black cape. A single golden braid lined her face. She met his eyes.

Stern, piercing, _crimson_ eyes. They froze him in place.

She held his gaze for a second, seemingly amused. Then she vanished.

_**~xxx~**_

* * *

**_This is so short. I'll say the reason._ **

**_On something completely unrelated first though... it's my birthday in three days. Sep 15. X3 I wanted to upload something on that date, but I won't be able to anymore so have this!  
_**

**__****_The reason I won't be able to is because I won't have internet for a few weeks for an indefinite amount of time. D= So I won't be able to update for a long while probably. This was supposed to be in a later chapter but since I had it complete, I might as well just put it up as a sort of story interlude. Kind of a dream / memory like the one Link had in an earlier chapter with the waterfalls.  
_**

**__****_Well that's it. Thanks for reading and I hope to resume this story soon!  
_**


	7. Chapter 5

_**Eeep. Re-uploading this chapter again because in the last one, I uploaded a rough draft ****with errors by accident. ^-^;;; **_

_**Also going to go back and revise the last few chapters thoroughly. About well time I did! **  
_

* * *

Instructor Horwell, the younger of the two brothers who served as the Knight Academy's primary teachers, was a brown-haired man with warm, cheerful eyes whose love of animals was well known. It came as no surprise that when he was absent one day, Gaepora was bombarded with questions from concerned Knights and students. He told them the same excuse Horwell had given him: The instructor was feeling tired and could not properly teach that day.

However, when Horwell was missing in action for more than a couple of days, Gaepora began to worry that it was something more serious. Speaking to Owlan, he found Horwell had come up with a slight fever and had remained bedridden because he was too tired to move.

It was unusual for sickness in Skyloft.

Being high up in the clouds, the air was fresh and clean of contaminants; highly breathable and a blessing of the Goddess. Such a foreign thing as sickness was alien. And the rare cases who did somehow become ill never truly recovered because they were so unused to it.

Gaepora was in Horwell's room, at the foot of his bed where he lay half conscious, watching his brother Owlan tend to him. A thought struck him. As clean as the Surface appeared to be, it was ancient and deserted. There must have some things down there that would not be quite so pure, Various students had been working up their courage to visit the place down there in supervised visits by his daughter. Was it possible that what ailed Horwell was from the Surface?

It was just a thought to keep in mind as possible cause. It wasn't too plausible yet as this hadn't happened to anyone else yet.

There was a knock at the door. Gaepora glanced at Owlan with a quick question in his eyes. Owlan shook his head and went back to laying a wet cloth atop Horwell's head. The Headmaster sighed. He turned back to the door and opened it a crack, his bigger form blocking the room from the sight of the students on the other side. Karane and Zelda were there. "Yes?"

"We...just wanted to see if Instructor Horwell was doing any better?" asked Karane.

Zelda nodded, trying to peek over Gaepora's shoulder with an awkward little jump. Everyone had only been informed that Horwell wasn't feeling well.

"He's asleep right now." Gaepora avoided.

"Oh," both girls said.

"Is he...going to be alright?" Karane ventured. "It's been a few days and we haven't seen him."

"We've been worried." Zelda said dully.

"I know you have, my dears. We all have been. But I can assure you, the Instructor will get better soon. Right now, he needs rest and quiet though."

Karane sighed. "We'll be off then. Sorry sir, we won't bother again." They both disappeared down the stairs to his left.

Gaepora had only closed the door when there was another knock. Exasperated, he expected to see the two girls again but this time it was Link and Fledge.

Without waiting for the boys to speak, the Headmaster relayed the same things he had told the girls and was about to shoo them off before Horwell's voice came from inside the room.

"Oh, do let them come in! I don't mind!" His voice was a little weak but loud,

Gaepora hesitated. "Are you sure?" He called back. "You need res-"

"It's quite alright! I'm feeling better already!"

With a little reluctancy, he let them pass. Fledge let out a gasp of relief when he saw Horwell sitting up in bed and smiling. "Thank the Goddess! We were becoming really worried!" He rushed to the Instructor's side while Link stayed at the foot of the bed.

"I am only tired. I'll be better soon." He did not look so good though. He was paler than usual and his smile didn't have the same cheerfulness.

"What happened?" Link asked quietly.

"He's been working himself too hard." Owlan interjected quickly. "I've heard him stay up later than usual in the night lately. It's been working a toll on his health. It's only that,"

Link didn't seemed convinced but Fledge started tearing up for some reason. "I'm so glad! Groose said you were going to die!"

"Did he now?" said an amused Horwell.

Gaepora shook his head disapprovingly. "I'll have words with the boy later. That's no subject to joke about!"

"Whoa whoa!" said a voice behind them, "You know me! I wouldn't joke about that! I'm all changed now!"

They all turned to look at the redhead, along with Zelda and Karane who had entered unbidden when they weren't looking. Zelda was holding a tray with a pitcher and a cup.

"He only said that he thought the Instructor could die." Zelda couldn't help but defend Groose. "He's rather blunt about things."

"Fledge hasn't been taking it so well," said Karane. "And it doesn't help you've all been being so vague as to what's happening."

"He's been making us all worried." Link finally finished for all of them.

"I see. Forgive me, everyone," said Horwell. "I promise I'll be back in shape tomorrow!"

"Horwell..." Owlan began to protest.

"I really am feeling better!"

The Headmaster took this moment to usher everyone out of the room,

"Wait! Henya wanted us to bring him some tea." Zelda passed the tray to Owlan and Horwell called a thanks.

Again the Headmaster insisted they leave. "If he is to be teaching tomorrow, he needs to rest right now to gather more strength. And you are all impeding that. Go on. Out! " The teens obliged.

They saw a blur of fur rush by their feet and enter the room before the door shut. Even with the closed door, they could still hear Instructor Horwell exclaim with joy.

"Mia!"

**~xxx~**

Horwell had indeed been better the next day. In fact, he seemed so normal the next few days it was as if nothing had ever befallen him. He seemed to have recovered fast.

"What do you think it was?" Link grunted to Zelda as he rolled a giant boulder with Groose's help. The three of them were back on the Surface, working on the cabin Zelda wanted. He looked back and winced at the trail of uprooted grass they had made while dragging the lump of a rock.

"You mean Horwell?" she asked. He nodded affirmation and she shrugged. "It could have been anything really. It was probably just like Instructor Owlan said, he was just tired from work."

"That'd be something Owlan was more like to do actually. Horwell's always been kind of lazy sometimes," he replied.

"Ya know? That's what I was thinking!" said Groose as he shoved the distracted Link and rolled the rock the rest of the way himself. "Hey, and am I the only one who feels bad for Oolo? Owlan keeps the poor Kikwi locked up in his room the whole time among his collection of plants!"

"I've told Owlan many times that Oolo isn't a plant but a living creature! I don't think he gets it yet." Link laughed awkwardly,

"I'll talk to him. The poor thing needs some more freedom," Zelda said.

"So anyways, you guys care to show me those old ruins you mentioned you went to the night of Zelda's birthday?"

Link and Zelda exchanged a glance. "Why not?" she said. "You want to go now?"

"Yeah! That'd be great."

"Why don't we show him the actual castle and not the ruins?" Link asked casually.

Zelda tactfully ignored him. "It's this way, at the end of the forest, farther into the plains. "

But Groose had heard. "What castle? It's a castle?"

"Was." Link corrected. He remembered the magnificent black fortress perfectly. "It was giant! There wer-" A glare from Zelda stopped him,

" Were? There were what?" Groose asked, his interest piqued now. "How do you know what it used to look like? "

When none of the two answered, he asked "Why'd you two suddenly go quiet?" He had begun to become excited. "What's happening? I'm confused."

"It's nothing," Link said, still a little startled by Zelda's glare.

Groose looked back and forth between the two of them as they kept walking. "I feel left out." he declared sullenly.

"Alright!" Despite herself, Zelda was amused by Groose curiosity. Besides, he already knew who she and Link both really were, there wasn't any need to hide anything from him. "Link found a way to summon the time gate in the temple and had a little adventure thousands of years ago. He saw this forest like it was before Demise started taking over."

"Wait...what'd ya just say?"

"Time traveling, Groose!" Link laughed.

"Yeah! I got that! I'm not dumb." Groose said indignantly. "But I thought Granny closed up the Gate!"

"She did," Zelda said flatly. "That's why it should remain closed."

From her tone, even Groose got the hint and didn't inquire further.

When they reached the plains, Groose was again speechless much like he was the day he followed Link to the Surface. He had begun to get accustomed to the forest with its looming canopy of leaves and branches above and always a tree in sight. But the plain...it was a completely different world. It was a vast uneven sea of tall grass that stretched for as long as the eye could see with a magnificent open sky above. Some ruins dotted the hills here and there. It was empty, vacant and unexplored,

One look at Groose's amazed face and Link knew what was coming.

"This place needs a name!" Groose proclaimed. "One fitting for this wide expanse of vast, unexplored terrain!"

"Here it comes..." Link muttered.

"GROOSEFIELD!"

Zelda stared at him oddly.

"...What?"

She shook her head before breaking out into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

Groose cocked his head. "What's so funny?"

"You want to...seriously...name...Groosefield..._it's too much_!" She leaned on Link as she became deprived of breath and began to laugh hysterically. Soon enough, Link joined her as well.

"Are...you two okay?" Groose asked cautiously.

Zelda's laughter defeated her and she was on the ground, pulling Link with her.

"I don't get the joke," said a puzzled Groose.

Link waved him off from on the ground, affected by an uncontrollable case of giggles as well and unable to get coherent words out.

"Well then..." Groose started, a little bit spooked. " I'll go check out those ruins close by and come back in a bit." He would return when his friends regained their composures.

Their laughter faded as he hurried away and entered the old ruins ahead. Eons had passed, yet these ruins still remained of what had once been a proud and stoic castle. The dark rock was beaten and worn yet it still stood strongly stout.

He could imagine it now. Walking backwards to see the whole ruins...it was just like the illustrations of old stories in books! A majestic castle of black stone defending the entrance to a sacred forest! It had wide soaring turrets, red flags waving in the wind, it was a half a mile tall and-

"AGH!" He tripped on something and fall backwards, landing on a rather soft cushion thing. He looked back and saw it was a brown large bag, almost as big as him. "What the-?"

"OH!" A voice boomed. "Hello there!"

Groose saw Gorko the Goron behind him with a scroll in his hands. He waved. Gorko helped him up and lifted the giant bag back on his bag seemingly with no effort.

"What are you doing here?" Groose asked.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here, goro? Isn't it fairly obvious! I have been checking out these great ruins! Aren't they amazing? To be here for centuries and still exist? Why, there are still places filled to the brim with mysteries and secrets waiting to be explored! If I had known these ruins were here, I would have studied them much earlier!" In his excitement, the Goron was waving his arms in hyper gestures. "Archaeological evidence suggests this place was a fortress used in the Great War! Do you believe that, bud? The Goddess herself may have fought close by!"

Before Groose could respond, the Goron had launched into another round of praise for the ruins, remarking on how the excellent masonry and architecture had survived for so long.

"Gorko!"

Both Groose and the Goron turned to see Link sliding off a piece of smooth rock and coming closer, Zelda close by.

'"OH!" Gorko exclaimed in excitement again. "Bud, have you not seen these ruins yet? They are amazing! The sheer size- "

"Yes, yes! I've explored some of it already." Link laughed. "They're amazing aren't they?"

"Indeed!" Gorko was bouncing up and down now, a feat for the heavy Goron. "And you won't believe what I found when I moved a rock! I found a secret chamber in the ground!"

"Really?"

"Come! Come!" urged the Goron. He pocketed his scroll and moved to a part of a crumpled wall. He grabbed a giant boulder leaning against the stone and placed it out of the way as if it weighed like a feather. Groose widened his eyes in shock at this action.

"It's too dark too see though," Gorko said, disappointed as Zelda and Link joined him at his side. They peered into the wide staircase leading down. The steps were broken and the entrance was crumbling. Nothing was visible after the outside light faded a few feet in.

Link stepped forward to examine the opening closer. After a moment's hesitation he took a few steps down the stairs, and before Zelda had the chance to utter a cry of both warning and protest, he fell down a hidden hole a ways in. The sound of breaking debris could be heard as he yelped.

"Link!"

He poked his head above the hole he had fallen in and everyone let out the breath they hadn't noticed they were holding. "I'm okay!"

_Reckless boy!_ Zelda thought. "What do you think you're doing? What if that hole had been deeper?" He and Zelda exchanged glances and a silent argument ensued. After a few seconds, Link won out and Zelda sighed. He climbed out quickly and dusted himself off. "I don't suppose you have has a torch we could light?" he asked Gorko.

Gorko shook his head sadly. "I've run out."

Zelda stepped closer to the entrance and lifted her hand. A small fire burst to life on her open palm, illuminating the dark tunnel.

"GORO!" Gorko exclaimed. "How...how are you doing that!?"

She grinned mischievously. "Magic."

Groose whistled. "Mind teaching me a few tricks later?"

"You'd have to have a natural talent to learn magic. And even if you did, your big muscles would block the flow," said Link.

Groose objected but Zelda shushed them both before they could start fighting. "The whole stone stairway is decayed and crumbled! As far as I can see, anyway. It's unsafe to even think about exploring further." She retreated from the entrance and the floating flame above her hand disappeared. "There could be even bigger holes leading to only Goddesses knows what below."

Something in her words brought a flashback to Link about what lied in the earth's depths beneath the bright and peaceful Ancient Cistern. He shuddered. Maybe it was just as well that the stairs were impassable. He did not want a repeat.

"That's a disappointment," Gorko said sullenly. "Imagine what we could have found down there! Perhaps ancient artifacts! Treasure! Maybe even-"

"Living dead and ponds of poisonous monster goo?" Link suggested innocently.

Gorko looked genuinely disturbed.

"Well this was pointless fun and all, but I have to be getting back to Skyloft," said Groose with a look to the bright orb of a sun above. "It's noon and I'm stuck with scrubbing duty for something I offended Miss Henya with." He shrugged after a second. "I still don't even know what it was!"

"It was probably that mess of mud you made in her kitchen," said Zelda.

"That wasn't me! It was that flower pot that fell from the shelf! Darn pot decided to fall right in the water bucket and I tripped over the bucket! All of it spilled. I could have killed myself!"

"And who was responsible for the falling pot, musclehead?" Link sniggered and Groose glared.

"You'll have to call your Loftwing from the statues back in the forest. They don't respond from here. " Zelda interjected quickly.

Groose stomped off and Link couldn't resist following to torment his former bully further.

Zelda shook her head and turned back to Gorko. "Will you be staying here or returning with us?"

"I shall stay here! I have not fully studied these ruins."

Zelda nodded. "We'd appreciate it if you'd share your findings with us later."

"Of course!" Gorko grinned.

Zelda turned to leave but Gorko stopped her before she could. "Wait, I do have one question pending that I'm sure you can answer." Zelda turned and found Gorko's face scrunched up in what could only be called suspicion.

"Yes?"

"What is this 'Skyloft' you've all been mentioning so much?"

"It...it is our home."

"In the...sky?"

Zelda hesitated briefly before nodding.

"OHHH!" Gorko exclaimed. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" He began bouncing up and down again. "Goro! The fabled Isle of the Goddess! I had begun to have my suspicions when more of your kind began showing up on big birds!" He suddenly leaned closer to her. "How's it like living up there? Do pristine rivers of of the cleanest water really flow? Do bountiful trees with endless fruits-"

Zelda held up a hand to hold the barrage of questions she knew were to follow. "No, no! Those are all stories. Skyloft is just like here! Nothing out of the ordinary except that it's floating in...well, in the sky."

Gorko didn't seem satisfied. "But...what of the old legends? It was a heavenly haven created by the Goddess just for her people!"

"They are just that. Legends. In fact, the Surface is much more fascinating!"

Gorko was quiet. Zelda began to feel bad about bursting his bubble, but his praise for Skyloft was making her guilty for some reason she couldn't lay her finger on.

"Are you sure...?"

"Why, of course I'm sure! I live up there!" she laughed awkwardly.

"I would like to see this Skyloft someday."

She studied his heavy rock build and felt even guiltier. There was no way he could fit on a Loftwing or be carried by Scrapper. But maybe there was a way?

"Perhaps one day I'll be able to show you,"

**~xxx~**

"So it's really possible?" Zelda asked as the trio went through the Academy's doors.

"'Course! How could you ever doubt my capabilities?" Groose said. " I built a fine baby! It was really only a prototype though so how far do you think it would go if I built a completely new and improved one?"

"He really did make one while you were...asleep." Link corroborated.

Zelda was incredulous "And it actually worked?"

"Yeah! You should have seen it!" Groose gestured with his hands. The were right in front of the dining hall. "It launched Link right across Faron Woods! Though I'm not sure how the landing was, you have to admit it was one mighty contraption. I call it the Groosenator - hey!"

"Aaah!" Someone bumped into Groose. ""Sorry! Sorry!" A very pale looking Fledge appeared behind Groose. He bent down with shaking hands to pick up the small towels he had dropped but ended up dropping them again.

Link bent down to help pick up the towels. He found they were warmly soaked with water. "Fledge, what's wrong?"

"I-it's... i-it's Instructor Horwell! Miss Henya asked me to soak these for him! H-he passed out in the middle of class!"

_**~xxx~**_

It was late into the night. Past the bedtimes of most people and definitely past the Academy curfew. Most of the teachers and students should have been asleep at this time. However, there was light shining from the gap below Instructor Owlan's door. And in the dark hallway just outside his room were two graduated students.

Link and Zelda exchanged a glance. Zelda nodded and Link rapped gently on the Instructor's door, making minimal noise so as to not disturb anyone in the other rooms. A few moments later, a shadow overtook the light coming from the door's bottom gap and the door itself opened.

"You two should be in bed."

"We know, sir." Zelda said calmly. "We just wanted to talk to you for a bit."

Instructor Owlan looked weary in the dim light but he let them in. "No doubt this is about my brother, isn't it?"

Zelda nodded as she entered the cozy room. It was filled with various exotic plants. Vines covered the entirety of the farthest wall. There were a few pots with colorful flowers on the Instructor's desk along with various unfamiliar books and scrolls. Most of the flower's buds were closed though, They didn't look quite cheery at all, matching Owlan's mood.

"Kwi..." mumbled Oolo as he tried to camouflage in between two plants in a corner.

Owlan sat on his bed with a small sigh. He gestured towards the chair at his desk and another close by. "Thank you sir." Zelda said as she sat at the desk. Link sat on the other one.

"Well?" Owlan asked.

"We...we sense that what's ailing Instructor Horwell is not a simple fever or cold. Otherwise it would have been gone already. We want to know what's wrong with him. Surely you know already? You are Skyloft's best healer and herbalist."

Owlan was quiet.

"Please don't keep anything from us," Link said quietly. "we're not children."

Owlan sighed again as he came to a decision. "It is true. What ails Horwell is not a simple ailment but perhaps a bigger illness. I have been doing some research into the Academy's more ancients texts and have found something similar."

Zelda now realized that the Instructor's desk behind her was indeed more cluttered than usual with books.

Owlan's eyes seemed to have lost their focus. He placed a hand on his chin as if he were thinking profusely about something. "It is a rare illness. We haven't had a case like it in a few years. I don't believe it to be contagious but its cause is still a complete mystery. However, I do remember treating another person with similar symptoms. I fear the same illness has resurfaced but with Horwell." Owlan looked grim as he said this. He looked to Link and his eyes softened considerably with some unknown sentiment. "The one with this illness, she was one of the Academy's best Knights. One of the most fit and healthiest as well as accomplished. Her sudden ailment left me baffled at the time because I had never seen anything like it. She became sick with a slight fever and then recuperated only to fall into a worse state." He paused.

"She didn't make it. That is the fact that worries me the most."

He let that sink in, Link looked away.

"There is no remedy that worked?" Zelda asked slowly.

The instructor shook his head. "I could not save her. I'm afraid the same fate will soon befall Horwell."

"Don't say that!" Link said suddenly. He got up with so much force he almost knocked his chair back. "You said you were researching the illness in older tomes, correct? Find something! I won't abide to doing nothing but watch Horwell slowly fade!"

Owlan didn't seem surprised at all by Link's sudden change of demeanor but Zelda was. "Link!" she said.

Owlan stood up and headed to his desk. "Indeed, I did find a possible remedy. It is an ancient sea plant." He pointed to an illustration on an opened tome beside Zelda. "It seems in the distant past, when the Surface was still populated, this disease was treated with such a flower."

Though the page was yellowed and the paint was faded, a blue flower was depicted in the illustration the Instructor was pointing to. The flower's center was yellow with blue petals lined with white at the edges. The bottom of it's steam was red. The instructor began to talk again."This flower could be found on the shores of the Lanayru Sea." There seemed to be a hopeful edge in his voice.

Zelda gasped. "That means we can head down to the surface right now! If we search for it, we WILL find it!"

Link hung his head and shook his head. "Lanayru Province holds no real life anymore." He said simply.

"What do you mean?" said a shocked Zelda.

"The sea no longer exists. It is a barren, desolate place. Sand covers every single inch of Lanayru now. I know because I've been there."

"What? It...it can't be!" said Zelda.

Owlan sighed, his last hope shattered. "I suppose that's it then." He sat back down on the bed sullenly. "It has been a tiring day for everyone, you two. Would you mind returning to your rooms now? Rest assured, I will try to find some other plausible thing in those books," He didn't sound too hopeful. At that moment, the silver of his hair in the dim light made him seem older than he really was.

Link nodded. He took Zelda's arm and pulled her out of the room gently. He closed the door behind them.

"All of Lanayru!? Dried up!?" she exclaimed. "I won't believe it!"

"You've been out of commission for quite a time, Goddess." he said quietly as they stopped at the top of the stairs, ready to separate ways for the night since their rooms were on different floors.

"It's just! All of Lanayru?"

"It's all desert now." he said flatly.

"What's the Thunder Dragon been doing?!" Zelda said angrily, and Link sensed it wasn't really his friend talking there. "What has Lanayru done to prevent the withering of his province?"

"Lanayru got sick and died remember? Now that he's back though, I don't think even all his power is enough to completely restore the region though."

She was quiet. "What...what about using Timeshift stones then?" Zelda began, much calmer and obviously not ready to give up on the flower subject at all. "Didn't you say you found a plant whose sap worked like oil to the ancient robots? You were able to get Scrapper running again with it! What if-"

"I just stumbled into that while I was looking for an entrance to the Temple of Time," he interrupted. "It was only a coincidence that it turned out to be useful later."

"Nothing in this world is coincidence, Link." Zelda said. " I thought you would have learned that by now."

He shook his head. "Even so, I only saw that plant because it used to grow plentiful in Lanayru. This other flower, it's different. It only grows on the shores of the sea. Those parts are destroyed and impassable. The Timeshift stones can't reverse something so big if its remains aren't there anymore." Link sighed. "All that's left is a port. And the only reason THAT has survived is because most of its structures are made of metal."

"There has to be some way..." said Zelda.

They were both silent. Link began going down a few steps of the stairs after a few moments. "You know the only way."

"Link, I already told you that is out of the question."

"You would really let Instructor Horwell die just because of that!?" Again, his mood seemed to have changed rapidly.

Zelda tried to choose her words carefully hoping not to anger her friend further. "It's dangerous, Link. Disturbing the Past can have serious-"

"Zelda! Do you know who that woman was that Owlan was talking about?"

She looked confused.

"My mother, Zelda! My mother." He shut his eyes and turned away from her. "I...still have memories of her passing."

Zelda's eyes widened. "Link, I'm...I'm sorry."

"I'm not about to let another person die from the same thing knowing I could have done something about it." He continued walking down the stairs, leaving Zelda in shocked silence.

**~xxx~**

_"Commander!" The soldier, no more than a boy, came running. The men in the group parted ways to allow him into the circle._

_"Commander!" The young soldier repeated, out of breath from running. "The scouts...they inform that the forest village of Faron...has been destroyed."_

_Collective gasps ran across the circle of men._

_"Our troops at the Fort guarding the forest path have fallen!?" Asked one man._

_The boy nodded grimly. "They say the Demon King himself was there. All of Faron is ablaze in fire."_

_The armed men in the circle fell silent, contemplating this huge loss._

_One of them blurted out suddenly. "Perhaps if we had strengthened the forces in-"_

_"_Faron was fated to fall, There was nothing any of you could have done_," came an ethereal voice from behind them all._

_Everyone turned and noticed the silent spectator that had been watching the scene. Her white robes flowed freely beneath her and she did not seem to be touching the ground. A dazzling luminescence surrounded the whole of her, making her seem completely out of place in the dark battlefield. Without question, all of the people present in the group went to their knees._

_Her words had struck the army's commander, who had not spoken until now, as harsh. "You don't understand Goddess. That village was a peaceful one. If the Demon King himself went, he must have delighted in making it a complete massacre." His blue eyes showed with pain. "That village was the one of my birth. I had not visited it in more than four years."_

_"_It is true. I cannot truly say I completely comprehend the despair you all feel now_." Her Grace looked to the distance, in Faron's direction. "_Yet let this loss not hinder you, but fuel your desire for justice. Demise must be stopped or the fate that befell Faron will be the one of this whole world_."_

**~xxx~_  
_**

Zelda awoke before dawn despite the last night's late sleep. She could not fall back to sleep after that dream. _Why were so many memories returning to her lately?_

She thought about the commander of her forces in the Past and the pain she had seen in his eyes in that moment. She remembered seeing a similar look in Link's eyes often.

Why must he always have such a tragic history in every life? She felt guilty, subconsciously knowing that in some depth, it was always her fault. A sudden thought occurred to her and she got up to dress with haste.

It seemed no one was awake yet as she hurried down to the lower floor. A quick glance in the direction of Link's room was all she needed to sense he was not in there anymore.

"Headstrong, stubborn, silly fool," she muttered as she quietly headed to the Dining Hall. There she packed two bags with provisions and headed back to both their rooms to search for clothing to add. When she was done, she headed back to the Dining Hall and scribbled a note which she left on a table. Wouldn't do to come back and receive a scolding from Gaepora. Henya would come in and find the note later.

She took the upper doors to go outside, knowing the main ones would still be locked.

"Zelda..."

Her hand was on the doorknob. Instructor Owlan was a few feet behind her.

Zelda turned and closed the door. "Yes, sir?"

The instructor eyed her bags. "So Link went ahead?"

She nodded. She hoped he wouldn't detain her for long, she needed to catch up to him before he rushed into the Past without her.

He handed her a small piece of rolled up parchment. "When you find that plant, bring it to me. I have faith in you two that you will find it. You are after all, the best in the Academy. However, judging from your bags, you plan it to be a long journey?"

Zelda shrugged. "Not quite," she lied. "But it never hurts to be prepared!"

"I understand how dangerous the Surface is beyond the Faron Province, but I wish to warn you that Horwell doesn't have much time."

She almost laughed if his statement hadn't been so scary. _Time?_ It was good he didn't have to worry about that anymore.

"Be careful. Don't do things that might endanger your lives. I will inform Gaepora later to prevent him from worrying."

"Thank you, sir."

The instructor nodded. The worry he had displayed yesterday betraying his now customary stoic expression. "Good luck."

**~xxx~**

"Alight there." Link pointed to the Sealed Temple's entrance and his crimson Loftwing complied in a downward flutter of wings. He slipped off quickly and waved a goodbye. The crimson bird squawked softly in reply and flew off.

As he pushed open the Temple's stone doors, Link wondered briefly if it were possible that Zelda could seal these doors with a spell like the ancient Impa had done. Probably not. She would have done so already in an effort to keep him away from the Gate.

Swiftly heading up the stairs to stand in front of the Master Sword, he pulled out the blue ocarina and played the mysterious tune of the Song of Time. His old sword began to glow.

His hand was only mere inches away from the Master Sword's hilt when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Came a sharp shout from behind.

He immediately felt crestfallen. There was no way she would let him go now.

He heard her footsteps on the stairs behind him and a soft hand alighted on his shoulder. "Or should I say...where are you going without _me_?"

He turned to look at her, surprised. She only smiled one of her elusive smiles and shoved a bag into his arms. "You can't just go off unprepared like that. It'll be a long journey to Lanayru on foot and back. Our Loftwings don't exist yet in the Past."

"Zelda..."

"I bet you didn't even bring any food!" she continued.

"Zelda."

"And I can't just let you go off alone. You need someone to keep you away from trouble."

"Zelda!" he said loudly to get her attention.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

She scoffed softly. "Don't mention it. Now are we going or not?"

He nodded, readjusted his hold on the bag and gripped the Master Sword's indigo hilt. She placed her hand on top of his on the hilt.

Soon, a blinding cerulean light consumed them both.

* * *

**_Yay, it's been a while! _**

**_I went to the Symphony of the Goddess concert at the Chicago Theatre on October 25 recently with my best friend! I got a giant poster and an epic shirt as well and got to enjoy the orchestra performance. My favorite was the Wind Waker symphony, the conductor pulled out a Wind Waker replica. Not going to lie, I shed a few tears. ;') There were some epic cosplayers as well! Did anyone go to any Symphony of the Goddess orchestra? Just curious, give me a shout out if you did. :D  
_**

**_Okay, back to the story. This is the biggest chapter so far. And I dunno, Horwell and Owlan are so similar I made them brothers. The mainstory has finally picked up! XD As always, hope you enjoyed and review please!  
_**


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